


Lullaby Series 1: L is for Lullaby

by spookyawards_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-01-21
Updated: 2003-01-21
Packaged: 2019-04-27 05:56:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14419119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyawards_archivist/pseuds/spookyawards_archivist
Summary: Post Requiem.  Mulder comes back with some startling revelations about alien plans.  He's back, but he made a deal with the devil to do it.  But love conquers all.





	Lullaby Series 1: L is for Lullaby

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Spooky Awards](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Spooky_Awards), and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [SpookyAwards' collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/spookyawards/profile).

 

Lullaby Series 1: L is for Lullaby

## Lullaby Series 1: L is for Lullaby

### by Donnilee
    
    
    TITLE:      L is for Lullaby
    AUTHOR:     Donnilee
    RATING:     NC-17
    

WARNING: Descriptive sex. Smut warning. **CATEGORY: MSR**

SUMMARY: Post Requiem. Mulder comes back with some startling revelations about alien plans. He's back, but he made a deal with the devil to do it. But love conquers all. 

SPOILERS: Everything up to and through Invocation is fair game. Small ones for Emily, bigger ones for Requiem. Nothing huge though. Just small references to episodes here and there. If you haven't seen them, then you just need to accept the premise that Mulder was abducted after one night with Scully. 

DISCLAIMER: Nope. Not mine. Used shamelessly and without remorse. They belong to Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox, and god knows who else, but not me. 

Lull-a-by (lvlebai) pl. lull-a-bies n. a soothing song to put a baby to sleep [imit.] 

* * *

* * *

**INTRODUCTION (PG-13)**

**WALTER SKINNER'S OFFICE**  
**J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING**  
**THURSDAY, 11:00 AM**

Walter Skinner stood in front of his desk peering down at his small redheaded agent with a frown. She sat rigid in the chair, her hands folded in her lap. Her eyes were bright with indignation and perceived offense at his words of a moment ago. She simply would not see reason. Silence hovered between them for several more moments. 

"Sir, I understand that you are concerned for my well-being, however, I think that I am the best judge as to whether or not I am able to carry out the duties of my position here." 

"I disagree, Agent Scully." Her eyes sparked with anger. He held up a hand to forestall the inevitable flare of temper. "Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you. I've known you for a long time and I realize that you are a doctor. I also realize that doctor's make the worst kind of patients and are prone to self-diagnosing, the worst kind of self-indulgence." 

"Self-indulgence!" she cried with barely restrained anger. 

He held up his hand again. "I'm not finished!" he nearly shouted. 

She retreated slightly in her chair, her eyes lowered. He could see the tension rolling off her in waves. "Look, Agent Scully, I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm only concerned for you. I don't want to pull rank on you." He paused as her head snapped up again. "And don't give me that look, Agent. You may not believe me right now, but I'm on your side. But if we are going to be successful in this continuing search for Agent Mulder, we both need to be in top form. We both need to be sharp, and we both need to be well rested. Believe me, I understand the urge to work night and day, but you have to think of what's at stake here." 

He paused, taking another deep breath. "For Christ sakes, Scully, I'm the one that lost him!" he nearly shouted. "Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? Do you have any idea how guilty I feel every time I look into your face and see you crumpling with sorrow! Damn it!" 

Scully's posture relaxed somewhat, her anger draining in the face of her boss' guilt. "Sir, it wasn't your fault. I should have figured it out sooner. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I never should have let him go without me." 

Skinner looks at her, his jaw tight with restrained emotion. "Look, you're six months pregnant, Scully. And that baby you're carrying ... may be the only piece of Mulder that we will ever have." He swallowed harshly. 

Scully's eyes filled with tears as she heard him express the very same thought that occurred to her countless times since Mulder's disappearance. 

He continued, his voice steady but forced. "If anything were to happen to you or that baby, I would never forgive myself for allowing it to happen. I lost Mulder, the least I can do is make sure that I keep you and his baby as safe as I can. I know that you see it as the worst kind of patronizing and male posturing. But that's not the motive here, Scully. It has nothing to do with your capabilities. Nobody knows better than me what a capable agent you are. But we both know that anything can happen, no matter how capable we are or how smart we think we are. Who's smarter than Mulder, intellectually or intuition-wise, and he couldn't guard against being taken, could he?" 

Scully nodded. "I know you're right, but ..." 

"But nothing. I am going to check this out with the Gunmen. You know how much they care and how smart they all are, despite their appearance." 

They shared a smirk over that comment. "I promise, Scully, we will leave NO stone unturned. I will call you all the time and keep you informed every step of the way. I will need your insight and your knowledge. I'm not asking you to walk away and leave it to me. I'm asking you to stay safe, for everyone involved here. Give yourself a break. You're exhausted. I know and you know it." 

"I'm tired, but that's nothing new. Despite that I'm six months pregnant, I'm not huge yet. Yes, I have a belly, but I can still run and shoot for God sakes!" 

"I know that, but you need your rest. If you drop from exhaustion or because you're not eating, how is that going to help the baby? You can't afford to be selfish right now, Scully, you're living for two! Don't you understand? This isn't about just YOU anymore. You don't serve anyone if you run yourself into the ground. You don't serve that baby, you don't serve yourself, and you don't serve Mulder!" 

She took a long drawn out breath and released it slowly, chewing over his words in his mind. She knew he was right, but it was so hard to let someone else take the lead in this. She knew that Mulder was alive. She still had dreams and visions of him, while awake and while asleep. She knew that they were connecting somehow. She didn't care to try and analyze it or be the skeptic anymore. He was alive and she was going to find him and bring him home. She couldn't do it alone though. She knew that intellectually. 

She also knew that Skinner and the Gunmen had her best interests at heart, but she railed against her limitations because of the baby. Despite the fact that she was thrilled over being pregnant, she didn't relish the fact of her coming limitations. When her belly grew too big for her to run, and she would exhaust easily, she would have to slow down and leave most of the footwork of the investigation to others. It was already starting to happen. She was fatigued. She just didn't want to admit it to Skinner. 

Quietly, she said, "You're right. I don't do anyone any favors if I'm exhausted and at the end of my rope." 

He patted her shoulder. "Go home, Agent Scully. Get ten or twelve hours of sleep. By then, I should have an update for you. The Gunmen and I are leaving this afternoon at 3:00PM. We'll arrive in Arizona later tonight. I'll call you in the morning." 

She nodded. "O.K. Please be careful." 

"We will. It may be a wild goose-chase, but if there's UFO activity there and reports of further abductions, we have to check it out. We never know when they may give him back." 

Her lips clamped together tightly, she nodded and turned to leave the office. She turned with her hand on the knob. "Sir?" 

"Yes?" 

"Thank you. I'm sorry I've been such a pain in the ass." 

He grinned. "No problem. Without Mulder here to be a pain in my ass, I'm not sure I'd know what to do with myself if someone didn't take his place," he quipped. 

She smiled a mirthless smile. "I can't wait until he can be here to give you a hard time for himself." Skinner smiled softly in return, his sadness apparent. 

"Me too, Agent Scully, me too." 

* * *

* * *

**PART 1 (R )**  
**DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT**  
**GEORGETOWN**  
**12:00 NOON**

Scully fixed herself a tuna fish sandwich and sat at the kitchen table with a glass of milk and ate her lunch. The silence of her apartment felt oppressing. She glanced into her living room and saw the suitcase behind the couch that she had packed this morning in anticipation of her flight to Arizona. She had been furious when Skinner vetoed her plans to come along. 

The Gunmen had been vigilantly checking all sources for reports of UFO activity around the world and were quick to call her and Skinner whenever anything worthy of investigation came up. This would be the sixth trip in as many months that they had gone winging off to some location to check out the reports that came in from SETI and NICAP or various other mysterious sources the Gunmen seemed to have. All five previous trips had been dead ends. 

It was hard not to become discouraged. She sat back in her chair and rested her hands on her stomach. She felt a foot move lazily across her abdomen as the baby turned over and she smiled. Her hormones were going nuts. She felt tears sting her eyes. She was already in love with the tiny life growing inside her. How many times had she felt the desolation of her barrenness, and cried out to God for answers? She'd never thought much about having children until she couldn't have them. Then she thought about it all the time. 

The missed opportunities weighed on her like a ball and chain. She didn't blame Mulder, but she did occasionally resent the way her life had turned out. She didn't blame anyone, just felt a nagging sense of incompleteness, of dissatisfaction with what she had accomplished, professionally and personally. 

Mulder and she had grown so close in the last year. She had felt the shift in their relationship. The closure he'd experienced with Samantha had been a turning point for him. As if a great lead muumuu had been lifted from his body, he breathed easier, was more at peace and started showing her more of what was inside him than ever before. He had dealt it out in stingy pieces before that time. But afterwards, he seemed ready and willing to answer any and all questions she had about him. Whether those questions were what he was thinking, what he was feeling, or what he wanted out of life, he seemed willing to share it all with her. He'd touched her more. Was it only because he knew he was dying and had nothing to lose? 

She had not been so forthcoming. Thinking back to his many attempts to pierce her shield of denial and defense, she cringed at how closed off she had been, the lack of trust she had shown in him. Frankly, it had scared her to let that final wall fall. She was afraid of losing herself in Mulder. She already had to a certain extent. Later, she wondered if that would really be a bad thing. Her closure with Daniel had been a turning point for her but she'd still held back. 

Laying in bed that night in Oregon, six months ago, with his warm body spooned up behind her and his hot breath cascading down her neck as he told her of his thoughts, she had felt something inside her let go. He was more concerned with her well-being than with their quest for the truth. She never thought she would hear that sentiment from him. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. After laying quietly for a few moments, she had turned over and gazed at him. 

She must have looked amazed because his soft smile was indulgent. It had faded and he had stared at her for long moments. In a voice that was at once low and filled with longing he'd said the words that blown the last of her denial and defenses away. 

<Scully, I've been thinking. Not only is there more to life for you. There's more to life for me. None of us knows how long we have. It's foolish to waste it hiding behind fears and running from the possibility of being hurt. I'm tired of it. I want things too. There are things I've wanted for a long time but my blind obsession with Samantha got in the way of my seeing what was really important in life. The present is important, not yesterday, not tomorrow. I want to focus on what I have now, rather than on what I don't have. I've spent so much time living in the past and the future, that I've missed lots and lots of today's.> He'd paused then and cupped her face with his hands. 

In a low sultry tone he'd continued. <I love you, Scully. I have for a long time. And I'm tired of pretending that I don't want more from you than our friendship. I'm tired of being afraid that you will reject me. I'm tired of it all, the games we play.> He'd paused again while she stared wide-eyed at him. <We have today, Scully, that's all. I could be gone tomorrow, you could be gone tomorrow. Do we want to waste another day? Or do we want to make the most of it?>

She remembered her whispered question. <<How do we make the most of it, Mulder?>>

He'd smiled that smile that made her stomach flop over every time he directed it at her. He'd simply said, <Let me in, Scully. Let me love you.>

She'd nodded and that was that. He'd wasted no time in shedding her clothes under the covers, being sure to keep her warm. He'd stood and shed his own and rejoined her in the bed. 

He'd explored her body that night like she was Venus come to life. Everywhere he touched, she'd felt his love for her. The joy of being able to touch her shining in his eyes was almost her utter undoing. He had gazed at her with child-like wonder and reverence. She had never felt so loved. He'd made slow, passionate love to her that night. They'd both wept when it was over, staying joined to the last second, savoring the joy of finally being able to express their love at last. 

One night; one passionate session of lovemaking had left her with a life growing inside her, in contradiction of everything that she knew to be true. She was barren. And yet, she'd been granted a miracle. When he'd said either of them could be gone tomorrow, he'd had no idea how prophetic his words would turn out to be. Or maybe he did. He'd known he was dying. She didn't want to believe that he had been saying good bye. Please God, don't let his motivation have been that morbid. 

She was disturbed beyond reason when she saw the medical reports of his steady decline over the past year. She remembered that harrowing time in Africa when he lay in a hospital bed, his mind more in tune with the universe than ever before, but knowing that his body couldn't handle the electrical activity being produced by his brain. Krychkow had saved his life with that drug. She and everyone else had thought he made a total recovery. Apparently, he had continued to decline physically in ways that were not readily apparent. How had he kept that from her? How had she not seen it? 

She felt a stab of anger over his having kept his health decline a secret. Had he planned on dying without ever having said a word to her? She didn't want to be hurt, but she was. And she knew what he would say if he were here. He had been trying to protect her and spare her the hurt. And he probably didn't want her nagging him either. But damn it! If she'd known, she might have been able to find specialist doctors to look at him. The Gunmen could have tracked down various alternative medicines to try and help. Anything. But no. He'd chosen to go it alone, knowing his body was betraying him. 

How much of his brain ability had he maintained? That was the question. He claimed to have been able to read people's minds, just as Gibson had. He claimed to have been able to detect and predict patterns in random pictures flashed on the computer screen. If his body was declining, then some of that electrical activity had to still be active. That thought was a little scary. What else hadn't he told her? 

She stood and went to her desk, retrieving the medical reports which she had compiled. The report Doggett had given her was a synopsis of his condition and decline. She had insisted on getting copies of every single doctor's note since his time in the hospital the previous year. 

She opened the folder and scanned the well-read contents. She had almost memorized them. 

{SUMMARY OF PATIENT'S CONDITION: The patient displays an unusual amount of temporal and frontal lobe activity, as if his neurons are firing at nearly triple the rate of the average human being. This phenomenon is unexplained at this point in time. The patient seems to have a theory about how this part of his brain was activated but refuses to share this information with me, insisting that it will not help me in my diagnosis or treatment. Extensive tests including CT scans and various nerve testing and psychological tests, have revealed other anomalies. Among them, the fact that the patient's synaptic gaps in his brain are drawing together as this condition progresses. This increases the patient's ability to think clearly and quickly on several levels at one time, unusual for the average, male, linear thinker. 

Not only could the patient predict upcoming images on flash screens, he has shown the ability to simultaneously carry on a lucid conversation with me, and use his right hand to write perfectly understandable and complex text on a pad lying at his side. Extraordinary. The patient has a genius IQ, but this sort of multi-tasking with virtually no errors is unheard of in modern medicine. 

The result of all this activity, including the synaptic gap disturbance is that the patient periodically experiences trouble with voluntary muscle movement. He will wish to raise his arm but there will be a delay between his will and the brain cooperating by sending the correct signals. It's as if his body cannot keep up with his brain. These incidents have increased in duration and frequency over the past year. 

In addition, the patient now suffers from migraine and cluster headaches. He has never experienced them before in his medical history. Maxell, Fiorinol, and various other headache remedies have produced no relief for the patient. Imitrix, a drug prescribed for migraine headaches is the only thing that seems to relieve the pain somewhat. And the pill form was of no avail at all. Injections of the drug directly into the blood stream have given him some relief. 

In the patient's own words, "It allows me to function through the pain." The patient also reports that the injections get rid of the blurred vision and light sensitivity that historically accompany migraine headaches. But the pain and stiffness in the joints will remain. He continues to work, but is fatigued on a more regular basis. His symptoms almost mimic Lou Gherig's Disease, where the patient is fully functional in mental capacity but slowly looses control of his or her muscles through nerve degeneration. 

In this case though, he is experiencing rapid nerve growth and a narrowing of synaptic gaps. And it is not an ordinary decline or progression of symptoms. Each occurrence is longer in duration and the frequency is increasing. This is normal progressive symptomology in many diseases. However, when the episode is over, there seem to be no lingering effects of loss of strength in the limb. It returns to it's normal functioning. This is something that continues to puzzle me. 

One would expect a steady and progressive decline in muscle control and function, each attack leaving the patient weakened incrementally. This is not the case. It's as if the human body and nervous system cannot take the strain of this evolutionary process occurring inside the patient's brain. It simply short-circuits for a moment but then jump starts itself again.. I say evolutionary, because I have no other explanation for the miraculous mutations taking place inside the patient's mind. 

I will continue to treat the patient with a drug that slows his neuron impulses and with Imitrix for the headaches. Otherwise, I have exhausted my resources for possible treatment of this patient's unusual malady. Eventually, I believe that the patient will die from this malady as his body's episodes become more severe. Muscles such as the heart must necessarily be affected eventually once the muscles no longer function. This could take months or years. I have no way to predict. The patient is aware of this fact and seems to accept this fait accompli with an eerie sort of calm.} 

She closed the folder and sighed again. There were so many unanswered questions. It seemed their lives would always be cloaked in unanswered questions. How long did he have left? She didn't know how she knew, but she did know that he was still alive. If only he could be returned to her. She would thank God for whatever time they had left together and make the most of it. She would live every day as if it were her last. No more secrets, no more doubts, no more fear. 

She decided to take a nap. She was tired and if she stayed awake, she would only have her mind spinning with anxiety and anticipation. She wouldn't hear from Skinner until tomorrow. That seemed like an eternity away. She might as well seek the oblivion of sleep. 

She trudged to the bedroom and undressed down to her panties and donning one of Mulder's tee shirts before crawling under the covers. She sighed and closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer. 'God, please bring him back to me. Please don't make me have to have this baby on my own.' 

* * *

**ALIEN SHIP**  
**SOMEWHERE OVER THE ARIZONA DESERT**  
**THURSDAY - 6:00 PM**

He woke suddenly to the sound of metal scraping metal. He moved his eyes and immediately surveyed his surroundings. They were the same as they had been for months. He was unsure how much time had gone by, but knew that it had been a long time. He was still strapped into this table contraption, naked. The torturous tests had stopped many weeks ago, but they still poked and prodded him. 

They rarely spoke. He had felt an overwhelming sense of defeat after being taken, when he saw the group of about ten aliens or so, all wearing the form of the hated bounty hunter that had plagued his life and his dreams for the last seven years. Realizing that they were all shape shifters was a revelation he would have rather done without. One of them had said that they took that form because he was familiar with it. He couldn't have cared less. 

The alien that approached now looked at him silently. To Mulder's surprise, he reached out and released one of the metal cuffs binding his right arm to the table. He looked at him in surprise. No expression changed on the alien's face as he went to the other side of the table and released the other cuff. Mulder immediately brought his hands together massaging each wrist in turn. He felt stiff but was surprising free of muscle tension and ache that he expected from being left in the same position for so long. 

The alien said two words, "Sit up." Mulder hesitated but then realized that his head was no longer retrained either. He did as he was asked, gingerly raising his torso, afraid he would be hit by a wave of vertigo or some other such side effect from his forced confinement on the table. Surprisingly, there was none. His legs and ankles were still bound. He raised his hands to his face and could feel no traces of the punctures and scars that he felt sure would be there from the tests they administered during the first days after his capture. 

Many times, he had been given some sort of drug and would pass out. He would awake not knowing whether he had been out for five minutes or five days but feeling discomfort somewhere in his body. This indication of further testing and prodding would dismay him, but he had oddly fallen into a routine of resignation and cooperation. He didn't really know what else he could do. He had no means of extracting himself from the table, and if he did, he had no idea where to go. That's not say that given the chance, he wouldn't try to escape. But he had pretty much given up. His only hope was that they would eventually let him go. 

His waking thoughts were filled with visions of Scully from the past years. He was swamped with a feeling of remorse for all the time they'd wasted and the way they had cheated themselves out of a loving relationship with one another for all that time. One night, one lousy night to make love to her, and then he'd been snatched away from her. Who would have thought it was him that they wanted? He had replayed that night in Oregon in his brain hundreds of times since his abduction. 

The alien continued to observe him as though deciding what to do next. Mulder unconsciously followed his movements as he walked slowly around the chair. He stopped at his side and extended his hand to the back of Mulder's neck. Mulder cringed at the contact of the cool, leathery feeling skin on the back of his neck. He felt a sting as the alien's fingers passed over his cervical vertebra and winced. The alien rubbed again and he experienced an odd tingling sensation. 

He turned to the alien. "What are you doing?" 

The alien looked at him, the same bland look on his face. "Sealing the skin. It should heal completely in a couple of days." 

Mulder's hand flew to the back of his neck as the alien removed his hand. He felt around cautiously and his heart sank when he felt the small nodule embedded in the skin near his spine. An implant! 

He swung his head around, scowling at the alien. "What the hell did you put inside me, you barbarian?" 

There was no change of expression. "My name is Hexla." 

"So what?" 

The alien frowned. "You should be thanking me, Mr. Mulder." 

"What for? Abducting me? Subjecting me to all sorts of violating tests? Torturing me with your poking and prodding, pulling and drilling? Or maybe I should be thanking you for strapping my sorry ass to a table for ... for ... how long? How long have I been gone, two, three, four weeks? Or will I return to find that only 9 minutes have passed? What exactly is it that I should be thanking you for?" 

Hexla tilted his head slightly to one side, totally unperturbed my Mulder's outburst. "I talked the elders into finding a cure for you and I negotiated your release. I convinced them you were still valuable to us. I convinced them that you were too valuable to just let you die. I made them see that you and your mate were the key to many things." My mate? 

"Curing me? Of what? All modesty and hope for a normal life?" 

The alien raised an eyebrow then and frowned again. "Do you not know what was wrong with you?" 

Mulder stared at the alien for several seconds. "I know that I was dying, but no, I have no clue what was wrong with me, except that my brain was working overtime and my body couldn't handle it. I was suffering from muscle locks and headaches that made me want to blow my head off. Other than that, I was just dandy! How the hell should I know what was wrong with me? None of my doctors could figure it out!" 

He stopped suddenly and realized that the alien might give him the answer if he didn't antagonize him. He had no idea whether human psychology had any bearing in this instance or not but figured it couldn't hurt. He'd seen the frown when he hadn't acknowledged the alien's name. 

"Look, Hexla, is it?" The alien nodded. "O.K., I'm sorry. I lost my temper. Hexla, I have a question." 

"What question?" 

"What was wrong with me?" 

The alien stood silent for several moments as if considering whether to tell him or not. Mulder hoped his yelling at him before hadn't blown his chance to learn some valuable information. 

Finally, he spoke, in a very bland, clinical voice. "You were dying because you had acquired an alien physiology that the human body is not prepared to sustain at this stage in its evolution. You were injected with the black oil, you were given the antidote and you were altered during a hack job operation on your brain. Having the dormant alien DNA inside you, left you vulnerable. But as long as it stayed dormant, you were safe. When you were exposed to the ... artifact, it activated the DNA in your system." 

"And that's when I could do all this weird stuff like read minds but couldn't even speak. I felt like Einstein but I looked like a confused mute. I couldn't even talk to my mother!" 

"I know. We never anticipated that you would be exposed to the artifact. We knew it was buried there off the African coast. It has been there for eons. We could not retrieve it without making entirely too much of a disturbance. We were not ready to risk that kind of exposure. How were we to know that it would be discovered? And that your clever partner would decipher a great deal of it? There are those among us who would be pressed to decipher many of its ancient messages. We were surprised that humans were able to decipher any of the code. It should have been nothing but hieroglyphics to you." 

He paused here and Mulder injected, "You have always underestimated my Scully." My Scully? Why the hell did I say that? God, you slept with her once and all of a sudden, she's YOURS? Asshole. 

"Yes, we have, but not after that incident. Unfortunately, you were exposed and it activated the DNA. There are very delicate symbols in the artifact that trigger physiological changes in us. We use replicas of those power symbols to advance our maturing process. But our bodies can handle the activation of those changes. Your body cannot. You shouldn't have been exposed. But you were. We could not stop the process without bringing you here. We did not want you to die. But the timing had to be right. We didn't want any witnesses." 

"And you have cured me?" 

"We have arrested the process of decline. Your nerve endings have slowly retreated to their former, normal position, sans a few alterations. We cannot reverse the growth but the new positioning will render their activity harmless to your body. You will still be an extraordinarily fast thinker among your kind. Your nerve impulses are kept adjusted by the chip in your neck. They will not accelerate to the point where your musculature and bone structure is stressed. That was what was happening before." 

"The implant?" 

"Yes." 

"A few alterations?" 

"You may find that you are capable of some things you weren't before. We also corrected the mistakes of the men who altered you surgically. It was a ... how do you say?... hack job. You're lucky you survived it. Your alien physiology may have been the only thing that saved you." 

"Like what?" Mulder asked, feeling a small knot form in the pit of his stomach. He just wanted to go back to normal. 

"You will discover them." 

"You won't tell me?" 

"Not at this time. It's better that you discover them for yourself, slowly. I will tell you this much. What you humans call intuition, it will be, ... more available to you." 

Mulder nodded and gestured to his neck. "What happens if I remove it?" 

Hexla merely looked at him as if to say, 'Do I have to answer that?' Mulder sighed. "I will die." 

Hexla nodded. "Eventually, yes, you would." 

Mulder was having a bit of a hard time taking all this in. It was as he suspected, but all of this seemed a bit surreal. "You are going to release me?" 

"Yes, but you will not remember everything." 

"Why not? Can't you leave me with anything for my trouble?" His sarcasm did not go unnoticed. The alien actually smiled. 

"You will remember some things, most things. You will remember that you cannot remove the chip. You will remember that you were taken, but you will not remember the tests. You will not remember most of this conversation, the pieces of it which we feel you need to know in order not to endanger yourself." 

"Why didn't you just kill me?" 

"You are special." 

"Why?" 

"Because you are immune to the virus that you call the black oil. You are an experiment, a curiosity and ... useful. That virus was designed to wipe out your kind. We were going to take over this planet as ours is dying. It will nova in about 1000 years. But when your people discovered an antidote, weak as it was, it gave us other ideas. We have begun a new plan to create a new race. It will be a mixing of our and yours that could live here on this planet and we could coexist and blend our physiology into a workable, viable race. Our bodies cannot stand your gravity for prolonged periods of time, so this is a better solution. We were going to have to build bio domes to live in." 

"We are no longer here to conquer, since we have discovered the possibility of another way to save our people. We do not want to commit genocide. We never did. But we didn't know what else to do. Now we do. Ironically, the rebels have come back to us now that we follow this new path." 

Mulder gave him an indignant look. He was surprisingly unafraid, sitting here with this alien, still bound to the chair. It was as though he'd lost the ability to feel much, although his curiosity was still in tact. He didn't know whether to believe him or not or if this was something he would be allowed to remember. He hoped so. 

"When?" 

Hexla knew he was referring to his release. "Soon." 

"How long have I been gone?" 

"Six of your months." 

"Six months! Oh my God!" Oh Scully, I've been gone so long! "Why so long?" 

"It took us that long to adjust your transmitter, what you are calling the chip or implant. The tests were necessary in order to determine the settings. We know our own physiology. But mixing it with yours is decidedly more complicated. We have been trying to do it for a while now, hoping for an alternative to conquering your people. We have not had complete success. We have a few hybrids but your immunity and exposure to the artifact was a happy accident. We have learned much from examining you this time." 

"Bully for you!" Mulder couldn't help the sarcasm from flying out of him. He knew he should be more upset right now. He did know that he had been violated in a most personal and demeaning way, but he couldn't seem to summon real animosity, only sarcasm. He just wanted to go home and hold Scully in his arms. 

"There is one other thing that we need from you." 

"Haven't you done enough?!" 

"It is actually something that we need from your life mate." 

"My life mate?" Life mate? 

"The one you call Scully." 

"Why do you call her that - my life mate?" 

"Because that is who she is?" 

"Explain that!" 

"We," he pointed to his own chest, "sense our mates when we meet them. We know instantly that they are the one we are to have for a life mate. You humans have the same sense, only not nearly as accurate and strong as ours. You don't know how to access most of your brain and use it. This ability is hidden in you. But we can tell. 

"During tests, all it took was the mention of her name in the same sentence as ours and your body would flood with what you call adrenaline and Dopamine. A picture of her alone would flood you with endorphins. This is the reaction of a life mate. The adrenaline and Dopamine are the reaction when you felt your mate is threatened. Your body prepared to fight for her. We do the same. The endorphins are the sexual response and feelings of well being that occur when mates come together. With your advanced physiology, you displayed these indicators in full force, as we do. 

"We just know how to recognize it better. It is one of the reasons we have never truly hurt her or taken her away from you for good. You would have killed yourself trying to find her and save her, or killed yourself once you knew she was gone for good. You almost killed yourself in Antarctica. We knew then she was your mate and we did not want you to die. So, we have never tried to take her again." 

He paused but then said, "We want her blood. We will take her for the blood if we have to, but we would rather do it the easy way." 

"You bastards leave her alone! You've already taken enough away from her!" Now he felt emotions. Thick and heavy, they settled over his heart; fear, anger, and outrage. 

"We will not hurt her. Like you, she is special. Together, you are phenomenal." 

"We make a good team." Mulder had a funny feeling that wasn't what the alien meant, but didn't give it much thought. He dismissed it in favor of trying to get assurances for Scully. 

"If I do this for you, you promise to leave her alone and not take her away from me? Is that right?" He felt stupid asking that question, as though he could trust these creatures anyway. 

Hexla nodded again. "We will not hurt her," he repeated. "We only wish a blood sample, that is all." 

"What for?" 

Hexla smiled enigmatically. "You will find out soon enough." 

"Will I be allowed to remember?" 

"Yes. When I release you, you are to go to her and procure the blood sample. I don't care how you do it, but get it. If you don't get it, we will take her and I don't think you want that." 

Mulder swallowed. "Just a blood sample." 

"Yes." 

"How much?" 

"In your measurements? We need 30 c.c.s. to study." 

He didn't know what to say. He wanted to go home and he wanted to be with Scully. And he would not risk them taking her if he could avoid it. He nodded, "I will get it for you. Where do I bring it?" 

"We will contact you." 

He nodded. "When can I leave?" 

"Soon." 

Mulder thought that the alien's idea of soon and his idea of soon, were probably two different things. 

The alien turned and left the room, leaving his hands unbound. He heard a high pitched whining noise and fell into blackness. 

* * *

* * *

**PART 2 (PG-13)**  
**ARIZONA DESERT**  
**ONE DAY LATER**  
**FRIDAY - 10:00 AM**

Skinner shook his head as he glanced around at the bank of equipment that the Gunmen had set up against the rock face. They had brought three generators for power. There were three computers, a microwave detector, a metal detector, laser beam filament machines, and seismographs. All were hooked into the computers and whirring away with a steady hum. Each Gunman manned a computer terminal and typed furiously. If this wasn't so serious, he would have laughed at the incongruous sight they made with all their high tech equipment in the middle of the desert. 

He asked, "Anything?" 

Langley glanced at him. "Not yet, but I think I may be on to something." 

Frohike looked up. "Define something." 

Langley turned back to his console. "The seismograph is picking up a light vibration about a half mile due west from here." 

Byers looked up from his screen that appeared to be some sort of radar. Skinner couldn't read any of it. "Where is it originating from?" 

Langley shook his head in frustration. "I'm not sure yet. Give me a few minutes to run a wider scope on this thing. I need to scan wider areas, cover more ground and see if I can detect anything. 

Frohike, with a perfectly straight face, said, "Try pointing it UP, bonehead. We are looking for a UFO after all." 

Skinner couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped him. When he saw the scowl on Langley's face, he laughed harder. All three Gunmen looked at him. He waved a hand in the air in apology. "I'm sorry, it just struck me funny. I guess I'm a little on edge." 

Byers nodded, and said, "Yeah, we all are. I keep thinking this is the one. This is the trip where we will find him. But then again, I've felt that the other times too." 

Frohike looked sad. "I'm not convinced there wasn't something there those other times, but this thing, whatever it is, can cloak the hell out of itself, make itself damn near invisible to any type of detection equipment that we have. If we didn't know what we were looking for, we'd never find it. We aren't going to find it with our eyeballs. We're going to find it by spotting some anomalous configuration in one of these tests." 

Byers cracked, "Which is a good thing since neither of you can see three feet in front of your face." 

Skinner smiled but managed to suppress his laugh this time. It had taken him some time to get used to the way they insulted each other all the time. He belatedly realized that it was a sign of affection among them. They all stood in silence for several minutes. Skinner asked, "Is there something I can do?" 

Byers shook his head. "Not yet. We're the brains. You're the brawn." 

"Oh, gee, thanks, Byers!" Skinner retorted. Byers smiled at him but then returned his attention to his console. 

Skinner sighed and sat down on a semi-flat rock to wait. His shirt was soaked with sweat from standing in the sun and he wished he'd put sun block on his head or wore a hat. Being bald could be a pain in the ass. He went to the car that was parked a short distance away and pulled a tee shirt out of the travel satchel that he always brought with him. He pulled it over his head and then yanked it up, turning it inside out and wearing it over his head like a head dress. 

As he approached the guys again, Langley suddenly let out a whoop and jumped into the air, waving his arm frantically, indicating that they should all gather around. They all rushed to his side and leaned over his shoulder to look at the screen. Skinner had no idea what he was looking at. It just looked like a bunch of squiggly lines to him, but the Gunmen all started babbling at once. 

Frohike said, "Oh my God, I've never seen anything like that before." 

Byers shook his head in disbelief. "That sort of activity should be shaking the ground apart for miles around. It doesn't make any sense." 

Langley nodded sagely, stating the obvious, "But it isn't." 

Frohike said, "Right. And there is some microwave and radiation readings turning up over there." He pointed to his terminal. 

Langley asked, "So what could all of this mean?" 

Byers blinked several times. Then replied, "It means this is something this world has never seen before. Vibration like this, whether it's coming from within the tectonic plates or not, should be creating havoc." 

Finally, Skinner couldn't stand the suspense. "What the hell are you saying?! English please! Someone? Anyone?" They all turned to him with grins on their faces. "What?" he shouted, exasperated at their lack of explanation and the fact that they were all trying not to laugh at him. 

Langley cleared his throat, "Sorry. You just sounded so much like Mulder there for a minute." 

Skinner deflated. "Would somebody like to explain this to me?" 

Byers straightened his shoulders. "This instrument measures fissures and vibrations. It's normally used to detect impending volcano eruptions or earthquakes." 

Skinner nodded. "O.K., I'm with you so far. So what's so special about those squiggly lines?" 

Byers replied, "See those lines on the side marked one through ten?" Skinner nodded. "They are the equivalent of a Richter Scale." 

Skinner looked again and his eyes went wide as the implications of the lines came into meaning. "Oh my God," he whispered. 

Frohike spoke up. "That's putting it mildly. A seven on the Richter Scale is a devastating earthquake, causing mass destruction of the worst kind. Can you read that?" 

Skinner nodded. "The lines are spiking up above the last measurement!" 

Byers nodded. "This thing only measures up to 12. And 12 would be like a natural disaster that would wipe out entire populations like the world has never seen." 

They all looked at each other in silence, trying to absorb the information. Byers broke the silence. "Langley, bring up the other screen, let's see if we can narrow the location down. There's obviously something there. The question is, what the hell is it?" 

Langley nodded frantically and began tapping the keys while they all looked on, holding their breath. 

* * *

**DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT**  
**GEORGETOWN**  
**FRIDAY MORNING - 1:00 AM**

Dana woke and looked at the clock. She gasped when she realized it was 1:00 AM. She had slept twelve hours straight! She thought her bladder was going to bust and leaped up from the bed and ran to the bathroom, barely making it in time. 

She sighed in relief as her bladder emptied and she rested her head in her hands. "Now what?" she mumbled out loud. 

She had slept all that time and wasn't sleepy anymore, obviously. But she returned to the bed, turning on the bedside lamp and picking up her new journal. She picked up a pen from the nightstand and propped the book in her lap, beginning to write. 

<<Mulder - I'm sitting here at 1:00 AM and trying to avoid the anxiety that creeps into my heart each time I think of what my life will be like without you. I am alone now but still hold hope that you will return. I fear the day that the hope dies. It must die, eventually, as night follows the day. But, not yet ... not yet. 

If you were to look inside my heart now, you would see overwhelming love for you and overwhelming sorrow for your absence. You would also see a new love, one reserved for the tiny life growing inside me. We were given a miracle, Mulder. That one magic night with you, I conceived. This child may be my only connection now to the love of my life. Yes, you are the love of my life. I can admit that now. 

I would laugh at the tragedy of it all if I didn't feel like sobbing all the time. How ironic, don't you think?. We finally were brave enough to admit our feelings and cross that line into intimacy. And then we were cruelly separated almost instantly, with nothing left but the memories of one precious night. 

I cannot lie. There is anger in my heart as well, and hurt. I am hurt that you didn't share your illness with me. I am hurt that you didn't trust me enough to share that burden with you. I don't know what to think about that. I want to be raving pissed! But I can't seem to bring myself to be angry with you in the face of your absence. In the face of the very real probability that I might never see you again, all I can do is love you and pray every day that God gives me one more miracle and brings you back to me. 

I'm scared, Mulder. I don't want to raise this child alone. I will. I will stay together and strong as I can be for his or her sake. I COULD do this alone. I won't have any choice. But I don't WANT to do it alone. As you once said to me, 'you are my one in five billion,' you are the same to me. Without you here to share the miracle of my conception, well, it took much of the joy out of it. Come home to me, Mulder. I need you as much or more now than I ever have.>>

She dropped the book off the side of the bed, tears coming once again. She rocked herself gently, her hands circling her now protruding abdomen. 

* * *

**ARIZONA DESERT**  
**12:00 NOON-FRIDAY**

Skinner and the Gunmen piled into the car and went speeding off in the direction of the "quake". It made no sense that the world was not cracking apart, according to those vibration readings. Of course the source of this was in the air and not under the ground, but it still should have been throwing hunks of the planet around somewhere. But none of them hesitated to go running toward it anyway. 

Langley held some sort of sophisticated compass and directed Skinner as he sped along as fast as was safe over the rough desert terrain. He thought briefly that they should have rented a truck or a jeep, but it was too late now. All the equipment had been miraculously strapped to the hood of the car by the Gunmen for the trip out. They had left it behind for now, carrying other hand held equipment. Frohike, looking like a tourist in his Hawaiian shirt and safari shorts, had a camera dangling from around his neck. 

They approached the site indicated on the seismic radar and Langley called a halt. "I think we should stop here and go the rest of the way on foot." 

Skinner stopped the car and slid out from behind the drivers seat, circling around and opening the trunk. Against his better judgment, but knowing he couldn't let them be defenseless, he handed each of them an automatic pistol with the clips inserted and showed them how to release the safety. They nodded, all looking vaguely nauseated, but took the weapons and fastened the holsters onto their belts. Skinner almost laughed at the sight they made. Hippies with guns. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. They almost looked like cartoons. 

They followed Langley as he set out on foot, holding his directional device in front of him. He had programmed it with the location indicated on the computer and was now following its directions to the site. 

He stopped suddenly and the others halted behind him. Frohike growled, "What now?" 

The words were barely out of his mouth when Langley was lifted into the air. His directional device dropped to the sand with an audible thunk. His body lifted several feet off the ground and was shaken like he was caught in a high-speed blender. They all looked on in horror and backed away, unsure how to help him and not wanting to get caught themselves. 

It didn't last long, much to their relief, but then he dropped to ground like a sack of potatoes, out cold. His glasses were twisted on his face and his mouth hung open. They rushed to him and pulled him back away from the area. Byers slapped his cheeks gently. "Langley! Jesus Christ! Wake up, buddy, come on. Wake up!" 

Skinner and Frohike looked on helplessly as Byers tried to wake him up. Finally, after a minute or so, he gurgled low in his throat. Byers kept up his litany of encouragement and finally Langley opened his eyes. He was disoriented and his pupils were dilated. 

"Huh? What?" He squinted against the sun. 

Byers said, "Don't try to talk, Langley. You got shook up pretty bad just now. Your brain may have been bruised from hitting your skull. Try to relax." 

He choked and raised his hand to cover his mouth but then let it fall back to the ground, as though too weak to hold it up. 

He coughed again. "What happened?" 

Byers replied, "You got caught in some sort of force field and it shook your body, furiously, but then let you drop." 

He nodded then groaned, murmuring, "My head, shit!" He gingerly sat up with Byers standing by to catch him if he fell. 

He looked at Skinner and Frohike, both kneeling in front of him. "Scully said something about being 'pushed back' by something in those woods in Oregon, remember?" 

Frohike responded. "Yeah, that's right. Just before she passed out. I was so concerned with her passing out that I forgot to make a note of that at the time. But that's what she said when she figured out that it was Mulder they wanted and not her. She said she'd been pushed back because 'IT didn't want her.'" 

They all looked in front of them again, seeing nothing. An eerie feeling swept through them all and a blast of hot air whipped past them, blowing sand into their mouths and faces. They all stumbled and coughed as they backed away. Byers and Frohike grabbed each of Langley's arms, helping him to stagger away. Another large gust forced them to the ground and they hit the sand under the force of its blow, grunting in turn as they made impact with the ground. The wind was knocked out of them and they gasped for air, sucking sand and then coughing frantically, holding shirts over their mouths. 

The wind abruptly died out. They coughed and turned as one to look in the direction from which they'd just came. And they all sat with their mouths hanging open. There, hanging in the sky about five stories up, was an enormous, round, metal ship. It looked to go on forever and there was no way to tell how tall it was. A strong beam of light came down from the center, making the sun of the desert pale in comparison. They all shielded their eyes with their arms. It was that or go blind. The light faded and they peered out from behind their arms. 

Byers whispered, "Holy mother of God!" 

Frohike choked, "Never thought I'd live to see the day." 

Langley squinted again and mumbled, "I must be hallucinating." 

Skinner said nothing but just kept his eyes on the thing, not daring to move toward it. 

There was a shimmering in the air. In the space of time it took to blink, the shimmer disappeared and Mulder stood there, looking completely bewildered. Beside him was the alien bounty hunter they had all heard about but never seen. From the description, the Gunmen knew who it was. 

* * *

**ALIEN SHIP**  
**SOMEWHERE OVER THE ARIZONA DESERT**  
**FRIDAY - 12:30 PM**

Mulder woke up on his table, fully clothed, but unrestrained. He bolted upright, looking down at his jeans, turtleneck and leather jacket that he had been wearing when he was taken. He smiled, reveling in the simple feel of having clothes on again. The door opened and the alien came in. 

Mulder addressed him, never sure anymore which alien it was. They all looked identical since he'd arrived. They probably meant to show him this familiar face, but all it did was confuse him, "Hexla?" 

He nodded. "It is time to go." 

Mulder nodded. "What do you want me to do?" 

The alien approached him and motioned for him to stand. He did and then the alien placed what looked like a futuristic lap top down on the table. He hit a switch and the screen came to life. Mulder drew in a harsh breath as he watched the screen pan the desert floor below the ship. His heart began to beat fast, seeing this simple spectacle. Home. God, he wanted to go home, home to Scully. 

"Where is that?" 

"Below us, the Arizona desert." 

"You're going to drop me here in the middle of the desert?" 

"Yes." 

"And how am I supposed to find my way out the desert with no compass, or water, or anything else? How far out are we?" 

"No worries. Your friends are waiting for you. They will transport you out." 

"My friends?" 

The camera swung and he saw the Gunmen and Skinner cautiously approaching the ship, their heads swiveling around looking for something. Mulder whispered, "Oh God, guys, how did you find me?" 

Hexla chuckled. "Annoying little twerps, aren't they?" 

Mulder smiled his first genuine smile in six months. Then it faded and he asked, "Scully? Where's Scully? Why isn't she with them?" 

"She is waiting for you. She has never stopped searching. This time, she was ordered to stay behind. But she anxiously awaits your return. One might even say she pines away for you." 

"How the hell do you know?" 

Hexla looked at him and raised an eyebrow again. "Do you really want me to answer that?" 

Mulder hesitated. "I'm not sure." 

Hexla smiled. "There are listening devices ... around. Once we have the blood sample, they will be removed." 

"Promise?" Hexla nodded. "Why don't I believe you?" he asked quietly. 

The alien held his gaze. "You have no choice. But I am telling the truth now." 

"She pines for me?" He sounded confused, even to his own ears. 

The alien smirked indulgently, as though he were simple minded. "Such is the way with life-mates. When one is lost, the other grieves and feels halved. Is this not so for you, without her?" 

Mulder swallowed. "Just get me out of here, please." 

* * *

**ARIZONA DESERT**  
**FRIDAY - 1:00 PM**

Mulder felt disoriented when he felt himself standing on solid ground. After all it had been six months. He had stood on the ship but now realized that there had been less gravity there. His knees bobbed alarmingly, but he managed to stay upright. He had blacked out after asking to leave. He remembered nothing until now. He looked up and saw Skinner and the Gunmen looking on in awe. He looked up and realized they could see the ship. So could he. He wondered if he would be allowed to remember this. He hoped so. He took in the staggering size of the ship and then turned to Hexla. 

"Hexla? Can I go now?" It sounded like a stupid question, even to his own ears, but he didn't want to endanger his friends. 

All four men looking on, startled at the use of the alien's name. The alien tipped his head and said, "Go with your friends, but don't forget your promise." 

"I won't. I'll get it for you, but don't you forget your promise either." The alien nodded. 

Skinner levered up onto his knees and drew his weapon. Mulder saw him and shouted, "No, Skinner, don't shoot." Skinner hesitated but then lowered his gun. 

Mulder turned back to the bounty hunter. "You're not worried about them seeing ..." he waved his hand above him at the ship. 

Hexla shrugged in a very human gesture. "Who will believe them? They are nut cases, no?" 

Mulder said, "Very smart nut cases. They found their way here, didn't they? I see you've learned our slang pretty well." 

Hexla actually smiled. "Two points." 

Frohike raised his camera. The alien waved his hand in his direction and the 50mm lens blew off the front of the camera and crumbled into pieces down the front of his shirt. Mulder asked, "What, no pictures?" 

Hexla replied, "I'm not THAT generous. Don't forget your promise. Cover your eyes." 

So saying, the bright light flashed again and they all covered their eyes again, seeing streaks of light dance behind their eyelids. Then it was gone. They looked up to see a large shimmer in the air. The ship had vanished. 

Mulder's knees gave out then and he fell to the ground. Skinner and Frohike rushed to his side. Mulder looked up at them to find tears in their eyes. Byers was helping Langley to his feet and he wondered what had happened to him. 

Skinner smiled through his tears. "Christ! Holy Shit! It's good to have you back, Mulder!" 

Frohike let out a little sob. "You're really here. Are you O.K.? What did those green-blooded bastards do to you?" 

Mulder smiled. "Time for that later. Get me out of here." 

Skinner said, "We'll take you right to your apartment." 

Mulder shook his head. "No." 

"No?" 

"Scully. I have to see Scully." 

Skinner smiled. "She's waiting for you and she is going to be one happy lady to see you." 

Mulder looked at Skinner again and said flatly, "Nice hat." 

* * *

**DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT**  
**FRIDAY - 2:00 PM**

Scully sat on her couch listening to the radio. Skinner had called at 8:00 AM that morning to say they were heading out into the desert. She couldn't wait until he called again. She wasn't sure how much more disappointment she could take but she knew that it was worse not knowing. They had to check out every lead. 

She was cursing herself ten ways to Sunday for not insisting on going with them. This waiting was more stressful than going along. She jumped, feeling her heart rate soar as the phone rang, startling her out of her reverie. She grabbed the remote and muted the stereo, picking up the phone. 

"Scully." 

<Scully, it's Skinner.>

"Hi. What's going on? You're back pretty quick. Only six hours since you called, including travel time. Dead end again, huh?" 

There was silence for a moment. She sat up straighter and her voiced sounded hesitant, even to her own ears. "Sir? What happened? Answer me! Is everyone O.K.?" 

"Just a sec." She heard some shuffling. 

She almost fainted when she heard the soft rumbling baritone caress her ears, "Hey, Scully, it's me." 

She fought the wave of dizziness that threatened to engulf her and reached out to grip the edge of the coffee table. "Mu...Mulder?" 

Softly he replied, "That would be me." 

"Oh my God!" she shouted. She burst into tears. 

"Scully, Scully! Calm down. I'm O.K. and we are taking the first flight out of here. I'll tell you everything when we get there." 

Scully sucked a burning breath and struggled for composure. "Mulder, you should be in the hospital. We need to check you out. We need to make sure ... " 

He chuckled. "Nothing doin', partner. I'm coming home to you and then we'll talk about all that stuff." 

She laughed. It sounded slightly hysterical. The strain had finally taken its toll, she thought. HE WAS BACK! They found him! She swallowed her hysteria. Get a grip, Dana, get a grip, she chanted to herself. Her voice quivered alarmingly, but she managed to say, "Come home to me, Mulder." 

"I'm on my way." 

She hesitated again, then remembered her new resolution not to hold back if he were ever returned. Softly, she said, "I love you, Mulder. Oh God, I've missed you." 

She heard his breath hitch. "I love you too, Scully. I'll be there in a few hours. Let me go so I can get on a plane." 

"I'll be waiting." 

"Good, see you soon." She heard the soft click of the line going dead and then the dial tone. It was several seconds before she raised her arm to replace the handset in the cradle. 

She flopped back on the couch and looked at the ceiling. Out loud, she whispered, "Oh, thank you God, thank you!" 

* * *

Mulder said good bye to everyone outside Scully's apartment. He thanked them and promised to talk to them soon. He wanted his reunion with Scully to be private. They were a little disappointed, he could tell. But they understood. He had given them an overview of his captivity on the flight home. It had distracted him from the sinking feeling in his gut when the plane took off and landed. Seems he had picked up a slight case of fear of flying. Scully would be amused after all the times he'd teased her about her fear of flying. 

They had also been awfully vague about why Scully wasn't with them, saying only that she was exhausted and needed more rest. Apparently she had been running herself ragged searching for him. The old familiar guilt came back in a hurry when they had told him that. But exhausted? That had never stopped either one of them before. They had a weird look when they were telling him this and he knew they were lying, or not telling the whole truth. There was more to it than that and he intended to find out what it was. 

He had no idea how to begin his life again. He knew only that he had to be with her, see her. Hexla had called her his life mate. It sounded like a term used to describe animals that mated for life. He supposed it felt that way. Oddly, he wasn't insulted by the implications. Maybe they knew more than he did when it came to this sort of thing. They had obviously taken over seven years to decide to 'mate'. He smiled at the thought. 

He found himself shaking and trembling as he approached her door. He couldn't wait to see her. He knew she was waiting on eggshells too. She had wanted to meet them at the airport. He had called when he'd gotten their flight information. He'd convinced her to wait. He didn't want to greet her in the middle on an airport terminal, or in front of the guys. He didn't know how emotional he was going to be, and he figured neither of them needed witnesses. 

She'd said she loved him. He had been stunned. She hadn't even said it the night they made love. Perhaps absence made the heart grow fonder. Or maybe, it was the heat of the moment, knowing he was back. They'd only spent one night together so there wasn't really any "new relationship" to continue. He had absolutely no idea what to expect in that area. 

He still felt oddly numb and disoriented. He was probably still in shock from his abrupt return. He took a deep, steadying breath and rapped sharply on the door. His heart began a trip hammer rhythm as he heard her soft footfall approach the door. 

* * *

**PART 3 (PG-13)**  
**DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT**  
**6:30 PM - FRIDAY**

She swung the door wide a second later. They stood silently for a few tense seconds. She was dressed in black leggings and a huge FBI sweatshirt. He realized it was his and he grinned. Her hair was tousled and she was barefoot. She'd never looked more beautiful. 

"Hey, Scully." 

She didn't answer. She grabbed his jacket and yanked him inside by his coat. She slammed the door and turned, launching herself into his arms in one seamless motion. He caught her up in his arms, hugging her close. Tears streaked down both of their faces as she pulled back to see his face. Without a word, she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down to her. She stood on tiptoes and covered his mouth with hers. She kissed him harshly as though she wanted to devour him. He was momentarily taken aback, but then began kissing her back. 

Relief washed through him as he realized she still wanted this part of their relationship, this newest part that they had started. To him, it only seemed a few weeks had gone by. To her, it had been six long months. A lot could change in six months. 

When the need for air became paramount, they broke the kiss and panted softly on one another's faces as their foreheads rested together in a familiar gesture. Her hand slid off his hair and down the back of his neck and he hissed in pain. It was the first pain he'd felt since he'd left the ship. He'd been weak, but no pain. 

Scully jumped back from him, her eyes wide. "Oh my God, Mulder, I'm sorry. What is it?" 

He swallowed and flexed his neck. "Can I sit down and then I'll tell you everything." 

She nodded vigorously. "Of course, how thoughtless of me. You must be exhausted. Give me your coat." He handed it over and walked to the couch, sitting down gingerly. It would be trial and error as far as what his body was or wasn't going to do for him for a while. While he thought that everything was in fine working order, he realized there could very well be some side effects. His legs still felt weak from the inactivity. He would have to start running again right away. He was lucky, though. The legs should have atrophied completely in six months under normal circumstances, but they hadn't. 

Scully rushed to his side after hanging the coat up and sat looking at him expectantly. "Do you want something to eat or drink?" She realized he had lost quite a bit of weight. 

He shook his head. "First, Scully, I need to show you something." She nodded. 

He turned toward her and bent his head down over her lap. He mumbled, "Look at the back of my neck." 

She gasped as she saw the angry red ring of flesh that surrounded a lump just to the right of his spinal column. She swallowed convulsively and whispered, "An implant." 

He straightened up. "He said it would heal in a couple of days." 

She looked at him. "Mine was for my cancer. What's yours for?" 

He looked at her, sadness etching the lines of his face. "It controls my nerve impulses and the neuron firing pattern in my brain," he said softly. He saw the look of awareness on her face and realized that she must have discovered his secret. He bit his lip. 

Her temper flared suddenly and violently. "You bastard! Mulder, how could you keep something like that from me? Why didn't you tell me? And if you tell me you were trying to protect me, I may have to kill you myself! Jesus Christ, Mulder! After all we've been through! Couldn't you trust me?" 

He stared at her on the verge of tears. He reached for her and she backed away. "I'm sorry, Scully. I didn't know what was happening to me, but I knew I was going to die eventually. But it had slowed down since I was in the hospital. I kept hoping that I would find a cure. I kept hoping that one of the consortium bastards would show up with an antidote like the manicured man showed up with one for you. I don't know. I was scared. 

"I didn't want what time we had left to be consumed with a quest to heal me. I knew it was an extreme long shot that I would be cured. I wanted our time to be spent searching for more truths. Then later, I didn't know how to tell you and not be the worst kind of asshole. I was selfish. We had grown so close and I didn't want to ruin that. I knew we would fight if I told you and I didn't want to fight anymore. I just wanted to enjoy what time we had left." He trailed off and looked at his lap. 

Scully let out a loud sigh. "O.K., we'll talk more about that later. I shouldn't have yelled." 

"No, you have every right to be angry. I'm sorry, Scully. I truly am and I promise I'll never keep anything from you ever again." 

"It's partly me, my hormones are in overdrive." 

His head snapped up then and he looked at her. He'd noticed that she'd gained some weight. Not much, but it looked good on her. "What do you mean, Scully? The guys said you were exhausted." 

She smiled a tremulous smile and slid so that she was lying down on the couch, her legs dangling over the edge. He stared at her, wondering what she was doing. She grabbed the hem of her sweatshirt and slowly raised it to below her breasts. His eyes left hers and slid down her body. 

He gasped, then made a strangled sound in the back of his throat. "Scully? Oh my God!" Her smile was uncertain and he could see more tears swimming in her blue eyes. He made eye contact again and read her easily, as ever before. She was afraid! She was afraid of his reaction. 

His hands shook as he reached forward tentatively and placed his palms on the small mound of her stomach. He gently ran his warm hands all over her stomach. He felt her shiver slightly in response and smiled at her, seeing the tension drain out of her. He asked, "How?" 

She shook her head slightly. "I don't know." 

Then a crushing thought slammed into him and he snatched his hands away. His jaw dropped open. He knew he had to ask this question, and he wasn't sure how to do it. Scully sat up, lowering her shirt and seeing his distress. "Mulder, what is it?" 

"Scully, I have to ask you a question. Please don't be mad at me, but I have to know. There's no delicate way to ask. And then I need to tell you something." She nodded. 

He drew a deep breath and asked, "Is it mine, Scully?" 

"Oh Mulder! How could you think ...?" She pulled him to her again and they embraced. "Yes, yes! Of course it is!" 

He started to cry then and they held each other for a while. He sniffled. "I was afraid you'd be mad at me for asking that, but I've been gone a long time and I don't know how far along you are and ..." 

"Shhh, its O.K. I didn't even think of that. Are you happy?" 

He squeezed her tight then. "I'm the happiest man in the world right now. Jesus, Scully, you're going to have my baby!" The tears fell again and he wondered if this hormone thing was catching. Just moments before, he'd felt numb and now he couldn't stop crying as one revelation after another struck him like a hammer blow. He simply couldn't take all this in. He couldn't process it all yet. Intellectually he could. His brain was already going over ten different implications and scenarios, weighing the facts and making deductions. But emotionally, he felt like he was going to spin apart. 

They separated and he said, "Could I have some tea?" 

She smiled, "Of course, then you can tell me whatever it is you have to tell me." 

He nodded and put his face in his hands after she left the room. Now he knew why they wanted the blood sample. With her immunity to disease because of her chip and the dormant DNA in her system as well as the alterations to his body, this child would be of great interest to them.  <together you are phenomenal.> 'Oh God, Scully, what have I done? I can screw up a wet dream! Now I've put our child in danger without even knowing it. I never should have agreed! I should have insisted that he tell me why! 

It had sounded like no big deal at the time but he knew there had to be more to it. Now he knew why and the fear of asking her for this was crushing. Would she agree? 

* * *

Dana put the water on to boil and hastily prepared the mugs with tea bags and sugar. Something wasn't right. She wasn't sure what it was, but she had an odd feeling in her stomach. She figured she must be picking it up from Mulder. They always caught each other's vibes like that before. She wondered if they would still have that marvelous silent communication. 

He looked thin. His hair was almost to his shoulders, but he was clean-shaven. Even so, he looked good enough to eat. She wondered if he would be up for that later. It was selfish to be thinking like this. He just got back from a traumatizing ordeal and she was thinking about getting laid! Jesus. Snap out of it, she admonished herself. 

He'd asked if the baby was his! She thought that she had successfully hidden the flash of hurt that she had felt when he asked. But she quickly realized that it was a valid question. She was showing, but she wasn't as big as a lot of women at six months. He must be confused. He didn't realize how long he'd been gone. He didn't really think that she would find someone else that quick, did he? Oh well, no use pondering it now. 

The teakettle whistled and she poured the tea, bringing the steaming mugs back into the living room. She sat down and handed one to him. He sipped gingerly and then sighed. "Oh, that tastes so good. I have no idea what they fed me or gave me to drink. Isn't that strange?" 

She waited patiently for him to speak again. He looked at her and knew she was waiting. He sighed. "I had to make a deal to get released, sort of." 

"A deal? You talked to your captures? You remember what happened?" 

"Some. He told me that he would let me remember certain important things." 

"He?" 

"Hexla." 

"Hexla?" 

"That was his name. The one we know as the bounty hunter." 

She shook her head. "That's impossible, Mulder. I killed him shortly after you were taken. He tried to nab Gibson Praise and I killed him." 

Mulder smiled indulgently. "I'm glad you killed one of them." 

"One?" 

He nodded. "They can all shape shift. Hybrids can't, obviously, but the full-blooded aliens can. I saw at least ten bounty hunters standing around me when I was strapped down. Freaky, I'll tell you. Said they took that form because I was familiar with it. I guess that was supposed to make me comfy. I don't know." He laughed an ironic, hollow laugh, then sobered again. 

"So, what was the deal?" 

He hung his head. "I need a blood sample from you," he said softly. 

"What?! Me?! What the hell for?!" 

"He wouldn't tell me. Scully, he just said he wanted 30 C.c.s of blood, to study. Said they learned a lot from studying me. Scully, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were pregnant." He coughed trying to hold back a sob. 

"Mulder, why would you bargain with me? How could you do that?" She was almost shouting, more out of fear than anything else, unsure whether to be angry. She was confused and frightened. What the hell would they want her blood for? Hadn't they taken enough from her already? 

He let the sob go and buried his face in his hands, talking through the tears that choked the back of his throat. "He said ... he said if I didn't get it for him, ... THEY would get it from you ... and I WOULDN'T want that. He said ... he said there were listening devices around, ... and they would be removed once they had the sample." 

He was having a hard time trying not to sob. "Scu ... Scully, I panicked when he said they would ... would TAKE it from you. I'd do anything ... anything to prevent them from ... from taking you again. All I could think about was ... was getting back to you. They were letting me go, Scully! And ... and ... 

Scully crumbled. "Oh God, Mulder," she said softly. He peered at her from under his lashes. She held out her arms and he fell over sideways into them, letting her cradle his head against her chest. His arms went around her and he held on tightly as if she would disappear. 

"I didn't know what to say, Scully! I didn't want to come back, only to find they had taken you, just to get your blood. And there would be nothing I could do to stop them either! I felt so helpless the whole time! I knew I was making a deal with the devil, but I didn't see any way around it. And I needed for them to let me go if I was ever going to see you again. Thoughts of you were all that kept me going when I was conscious. I had to get back to you, Scully!" 

She murmured soothing assurances in his ear and ran her fingers through his long hair. "It's O.K., Mulder. We'll figure something out." 

"It's not O.K.!" he shouted. "Now our baby might be in danger! Now I know why they want the blood. But then, ... but then, I didn't know, Scully! I didn't know!" 

"Shhh, I know. It's all right. How much more can they do to us? Huh? I'll give them the blood. It's better than being taken." She paused. "And if it brought you back to me, it's a small price to pay." 

"I could have gotten away without telling him I'd do that." 

"But then they would have come after me?" 

"Yes," he whispered. 

"Then you had no choice and I don't want to hear another word of guilt out of your mouth. We're together, right?" He nodded against her chest, sniffling his tears back, finally calming down. 

"Mulder, as long as we are together, that's all that matters. We're strong together, but we are weak apart. I've come to realize that." 

"You, Scully, you're the Rock of Gibraltar." 

"Not without you, I'm not. You don't know how I've been these last six months," she said quietly. 

He lifted his head and leaned back on the couch, pulling her into his lap, reversing their positions. Her head rested on his shoulder. One hand supported her back as she sat sideways on his lap. The other raised her sweatshirt and ran his hand over her belly again. 

Dana looked at him and saw a look of utter awe and wonder on his face. It was as if he needed to touch it to be sure it was not an illusion. She smiled gently at him. "Yes, it's really in there, Mulder." 

He smiled. Just then the baby kicked and moved his foot to the other side. Mulder's eyes got wide as saucers and he looked up to make eye contact with her. She giggled at the look of overwhelming joy on his face. He pushed gently on the foot and it moved away. His breath hitched in the back of his throat. "It's so amazing, Scully." 

"Do you want to tell me the rest of the story?" she asked. 

"Yeah." He paused. "Can I keep cuddling you?" 

"Of course." 

He squeezed her tighter. "Oh, this feels like heaven, Scully." 

* * *

I was holding Scully and nothing ever felt this good, or this right. My emotions were in turmoil. I could almost kill Skinner and the guys for not telling me she was pregnant, preparing me somehow. I thought I was hallucinating! But I guess she wanted to tell me herself and I'm glad that she did. 

I couldn't stop touching her tummy. I'm utterly fascinated with the rounded mound of her stomach. I know some pregnant women get sick of everyone touching their stomach but I couldn't help myself. I felt lightheaded when I felt the baby kick. That's my baby in there! 

I sighed. She wanted the rest of the story. I just wanted to hold her right now, but I knew that I had to get it out and get this over with. She wouldn't be able to rest until she knew everything. 

One night of passion, six months ago, and here we were cuddled up, her in my lap as if we've been lovers for years. Mentally, I think we have been. She was squeezing me tight and looking up at me expectantly, a small worry crease between her brows. I smoothed it away with my thumb and then returned my hand to her tummy. I tugged her sweatshirt over my hand so that she wouldn't get cold. 

Where do I start? The beginning, I guess, is always a good place. 

"Well, I remember walking in the woods. I was adjusting some setting on the laser beams when I felt an odd tingling all over my body. I reached my hand out and it sort of disappeared into thin air. It scared me at first." 

She was silent, waiting patiently for me to gather my thoughts. "But then I saw this bright, white light and inside it, were all the other abductees. Teresa Nevins and all of them. I was so fascinated and felt so light all of a sudden. I walked toward them, wanting to see if they were real or just a product of my imagination. I was feeling this surge of elation. Then I saw him." 

"Saw who?" 

"The bounty hunter. " I paused. "All my elation disappeared in an instant and was replaced with fear. I turned to look behind me and realized that I couldn't see beyond the light I was standing in. I couldn't see Skinner, I couldn't see the laser beams. Then it felt like the world spun on its axis. It was the most intense feeling of vertigo that I'd ever experienced." 

"And then?" 

"And then nothing until I woke up, strapped to a table. My wrists and ankles and head were bound to it." 

I heard her gasp slightly. "I was naked, but strangely, not cold." 

Her voice was a whisper. "What did they do, Mulder?" 

I felt the sting of the tears. I couldn't help it, remembering the pain. She reached up to cradle my face in her hands and I turned to kiss her palm. "Take your time. It's all right now. Whatever they did, you're safe with me now." 

I nodded and swallowed heavily. "It was awful, Scully. They put these hooks in my face and stretched my skin." I heard her swallow another gasp. She was trying to be quiet for me. "The drilled into the roof of my mouth with some evil, spinning needle like thing. I passed out when that happened. Then I woke up only to see some weird futuristic blade coming toward me, spinning like a table saw and it hit my rib cage and I passed out again." 

I glanced down at her and saw the tears falling silently down her face. I brushed them away and my hand seemed to travel back to her stomach of its own free will. She smiled through her tears and nodded, encouraging me to continue. 

"I don't remember a lot after that. I would wake up and feel myself being prodded. I would try to focus but then I would pass out again. I think they were giving me some sort of drug. I don't know if that was because they realized my pain and were trying to be merciful." Her face twisted into a grimace. "I know that sounds weird. But it might have been that, or it may have been necessary to alter my body chemistry to find out what they wanted to know. I'm not sure. All I know is that I would wake up some time later and a new body part would be aching and sore. I couldn't move strapped to that damn table and my muscles protested whenever I was awake." 

She gently lifted my shirt and peered at my chest. I smiled down at her as she ran her hand over my ribs and around my stomach. My muscles involuntarily shuddered at the feel of her hot, little hand on my skin. She glanced at me and then back to chest. "What?" 

"Mulder, if they cut you, what happened?" 

"I don't know. I was sure I was going to have horrible scars on my face from those hooks. I was sure that my chest and legs were going to be scarred. But when he woke me up to tell me I was being released, there weren't any scars. They must have healed them somehow." 

"But maybe only on the surface. I'm going to want you to have a battery of x-rays to determine if there is any internal damage." 

I winced and gritted my teeth at the mere thought of it. I knew lying on an X-ray table was not the same thing, but it made me wince all the same. She caught it and looked at me suddenly. "Oh my God, Mulder, I'm sorry, I didn't even think!" 

I ran my fingers through her hair. "It's all right. I will have myself checked out at some point, but right now, unless I'm having unusual pain, I'd rather wait a while. I'm just not sure I could handle it right now." 

"I understand. I'm sorry. I should have been more sensitive. I'm just so worried. You know I would never let them hurt you, right?" 

"I know. But I really think I'm fine. I think that was their whole purpose in taking me. Yes, they wanted to study me and get some information about my immune system, but they also wanted me to live. They wanted to cure me." 

I saw her frown again. Obviously my illness issue wasn't resolved. I couldn't really deal with that right now. She seemed to know this and didn't even mention it. I thanked her silently with my eyes. She was quiet and had a strange look on her face. 

"What are you thinking about?" 

She peered up at me again and said in a breathy voice, "I had ... dreams about you and ... visions of you." 

I couldn't help the small smirk that appeared on my face as my stoic, pragmatic and skeptical partner admitting to having 'visions'. "Really? Why don't you tell me about them?" 

She took a deep breath and burrowed her face into my shoulder again. She spoke softly but in a clear voice now. I would have them at the weirdest times, driving in the car or sitting in the office sometimes or in a hotel room." 

She paused. "I would see these flashes of light behind my eyelids and I'd have to close my eyes. Then I would see you, strapped to this table. I could see ... I could see you being tor...tortured." Her breath hitched. "I saw the hooks in your face, the drills coming at you." She was valiantly trying to suppress her tears at this point. "I could hear you screaming my name! Oh God, Mulder, I felt helpless too!" 

I squeezed her tighter and maneuvered her to straddle my lap. I wrapped my arms around her back and felt her hands grip my shoulders as her head pressed into my neck. "Shhh, its O.K. So the things I'm describing; you saw them in your visions?" 

"Yes. It was horrible, Mulder, but in another way it was a relief." 

"A relief?" 

"Yes, because I knew you were alive! I knew that you were in pain, but I knew you were alive and as long as you were, there was a chance that you would come back to me. I was so scared that I would have to have this baby alone. I know that's selfish, but I wanted so much for you to be a part of it. I didn't want this baby to be the only piece of you that I had left! I don't want you to think that I was glad you were in pain." 

"I understand, it's O.K. Of course I know that you would never wish me pain. I'm just a little surprised that you told me about this." 

"Why?" 

"Because my dear skeptic, I would think that you would deny it. I would think that you would think it was traumatic stress, or pass it off as your imagination or something. That's what you always used to do." I tried to say this softly, so that she would know it wasn't a criticism. 

She sniffled and I felt her lips smile against my neck. "Yeah, that's what I used to do, all right." 

"Not now." 

"Not anymore, Mulder. I've seen too many things. I've seen your intuition come to life. And Skinner, I trust him. I trust him now more than ever." 

"And he saw the ship." 

"Yes, when you were taken and when you were returned." 

"And you believed him." I couldn't keep the small note of hurt out of my voice. She had believed him but she had never really believed me. She had believed that I believed and that my theories and intuition were MY reality. But she had never really believed it herself. But she believed Skinner. 

"I'm sorry, Mulder. I know what you must be thinking. But honestly, I had started to bend quite a bit before you left. You know that. You know that I believed those people were being abducted. I believed you! I did! Those visions I had in that Buddhist temple when I was praying for myself and Daniel, I believed those too! I just couldn't hide anymore. And if those visions were real and true, then I could no longer discount a lot of things." 

I sighed. "It doesn't matter how it happened. I'm just glad that you won't dismiss this stuff out of hand anymore. You have to know that I always admired you for sticking by your beliefs. I never held it against you. I loved you for your convictions and your ability to make me see reason." I realized, even as I said it, that I meant it too. I didn't hold any of it against her. There were no more resentments to resolve. 

She lifted her head and put her palms on my face. "I love you, Mulder. I loved you long before you left and I still do." 

I felt the tears come and didn't try to stop them. "You never said it." My voice was barely a whisper. 

"I'm going to correct that now. I promise. I'll tell you every day if that's what you need or just what you want." 

I kissed her then. She returned it, slow and easy. It wasn't a kiss of passion. It was a kiss of affirmation, a kiss of acceptance of all that we had been through. It was a kiss of sharing. I finally broke away. "I love you too, Scully. But you knew that, didn't you?" 

She nodded. "Yes. I had my moments of doubt. My moments where I thought that you had made love to me just because you wanted to say good bye, just because you knew you were leaving me." 

I let my incredulous thoughts show on my face. "You couldn't have thought that!" 

"I did, sometimes." she admitted. 

"How would I know that I was going to be abducted?" 

Then I saw her shake her head, barely noticeable. Then it dawned on me. She thought that I knew I was going to die, so I ... Oh God! 

"No, Scully! No! It was never that. I was just tired of denying how I felt. I couldn't take hiding it anymore. It was getting ridiculous. And yes, I didn't know how much time I had left, but I thought I still had a few years. I didn't think I was going to die the next day or anything." 

She nodded. "I'm sorry I kept it from you. That was wrong. I know that now. I think we've both kept lots of things from each other. We have a beautiful ability to communicate without words, but ..." 

"But we need to use the words." She finished for me. 

"Yes, I think that NOT saying things out loud has also let us believe things that weren't true for long periods of time. Yes, we communicate silently, and that's handy in the field when we need to hide our thoughts from those around us. But in our personal lives, if this is going to really work, we are going to need to express ourselves." 

"That's going to be tough." 

"I know, but we have to try, Scully. We can't afford anymore misunderstanding because we're both too scared to open our mouths. I'm back now and I'm not going anywhere. And if you think I was over protective and hovering before, you ain't seen nothin' yet!" 

She chuckled at that. "I can't wait." 

"Oh, you'll probably be ready to kill me in a couple of months. But Scully, I'm just so grateful that we have a second chance. We can start over, and I want to do it right. I don't want to make the same mistakes that we made before." 

"Me neither." 

"There's a lot more to tell, but I don't know if I'm up for it right now, honestly." 

"You must be exhausted. I know enough for now. Look, we'll go get the blood sample taken tomorrow and get that out of the way. The faster I get it, the faster they take it, right?" 

"I guess so. They said they would contact me once I had it. They must have listening devices here in the apartment. I don't even think it would be worth looking for them. The Gunmen have swept this place before. Whatever they have, it's more sophisticated than we can detect. But I want them out of here. They'll know when we have it." 

"Want to go to bed now?" 

I grinned. "You bet. Are you up for a little naughtiness, or can you not do that now?" 

"Oh, I can do that! I was hoping you might have that on your mind, but I didn't want to be selfish." 

I laughed. "Please, please, Scully. Be selfish!" She laughed, stood up, and led me into the bedroom." 

* * *

* * *

**PART 4 (NC-17)**  
**DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT**  
**FRIDAY EVENING**  
9:00 PM 

We stripped and got into bed without preliminaries. Then he looked at me for a long while, just looked. His hands finally began to roam over my body. He tested the new weight of my swollen breasts, smiling when I moaned immediately upon his touch. 

He kissed and stroked me everywhere. He was not rushing, yet there was an urgency in his touch, a need to brand me as his possession. A year ago I would have fought that, but now, I wanted to be his, totally, in every way. I welcomed his possession. 

He was thinner than he used to be, but my hands running over his chest and back soon discovered that his skin was still taut and muscular, smooth as velvet and stretched over rock hard muscles that somehow had not atrophied during his long confinement. I couldn't stop touching him. The hisses and moans as he responded to my touch inflamed me and made my long neglected body simmer with heat as my body temperature soared. 

His eyes were a little wild as he returned to my breasts and lips to suckle and explore as though it was the first time all over again. He worshipped my now protruding belly as though it was the holy grail, showering it with wet open mouthed kisses. In many ways, for us, it was a holy grail, a miracle. I caught his eye as we panted softly, wanting this to last forever. He looked primitive, erotically wild and untamed. I didn't want to tame him. I wanted him to take control and take what he needed. Being possessed by Fox Mulder, I decided was not going to be a hardship. 

His eyes were smoldering, his cheeks flushed, his long hair hanging at a crooked angle over his forehead and he looked like some wild succubus come to take what I offered. The look he gave me then took my breath away. 

He fingered my soaking folds and groaned. He drove me wild with his ministrations and then returned to suckle my breasts again as he positioned himself between my thighs. 

He pushed into me and I felt my whole body sizzle with the electric feel of it. The tremors began in my core and spread out to the top of my head. 

This was going to be so good. 

* * *

Oh God, what was happening to me? Despite my promise to myself to go slow and be totally gentle, I felt raw and dangerous. I wanted her with a single minded passion that I had never experienced before. 

Her red hair was like a fire halo around her head. Her cheeks and chest were flushed. Her rounded tummy was surprisingly more of a turn on than I ever would have imagined. Perhaps because of what it represented, it made me a little dazed every time I touched it. 

This was going to be so intense. I could feel it already. I reached down to test her readiness between her firm thighs and groaned when my fingers encountered her folds. They were swollen and damp, luscious and full. I went wild feeling her velvety slick walls, pumping my fingers into her until she was writhing beneath my hand like a cat in heat, keening with the pleasure. 

I returned to suckle her breasts. The sultry sounds emanating from the back of her throat made my blood rush and burn through my body. Even that first night, there had been some uncertainties between us. Now there were none. Her uninhibited sensuousness was my total undoing. 

I crawled between her legs, feeling wild and took some deep breaths to try and slow my pounding heart. She just looked up at me, her blue eyes wide and smoky with desire. Desire for me! And I was lost. I entered her with one sure stroke and felt a groan come up from the depths of my soul as her hot sheath contracted around me, welcoming me. She smiled at me then, quite proud of the sound she had drawn from me and I felt my heart jump. I loved this woman with every particle of my being. 

For a moment, I was too shaken to move, but then found her gaze again and murmured, "It's not possible to feel this good without flying apart." 

She bucked her hips against me and I sank deep into her, holding my torso above her belly, which was rounded but not huge yet. I placed my hands near the top of her belly along her sides and began a slow even dance of thrusts, trying to savor every moment. 

I soon couldn't maintain my slow pace and increased my speed. She grunted with each thrust and yet she chanted, "Harder, harder, Mulder, oh yeah, hit me hard." Through the haze of my arousal I still had a trickle of fear. I didn't want to hurt the baby. 

As if she'd read my mind, she murmured, "You won't hurt anything, just let go. I began to snap my hips, diving my aching flesh into her over and over again as I felt the walls of her core pulse around me. I got dizzy when I heard her begin to whimper and she gasped. "Mulder, oh, what's happening to me? Oh you're killing me. Never been this good. Oh, god, right there, yeah, right there, keep going, don't stop." 

As if I could stop at this point! I pulled my knees up for a little better leverage as her legs left the bed and wrapped around my hips. She went stiff in my arms and then shouted my name in a long, drawn out moan as she contracted around me. 

I groaned again as an arc of electricity flashed through my body making every pulse point throb. My head, my neck, my groin, felt like they were going to shatter with the intense pleasure. I heard myself chanting her name as I emptied into her over and over, unable to stop my shaking body from pushing into her even when I was through and had no more to give her. 

I shuddered to a stop and was still, struggling to regain my breath. Somewhere I summoned the energy to roll away from her and gather her up to my chest. One of her legs draped lazily over my thigh and her head landed on my shoulder, an arm thrown over my abdomen. We were both sweating, but I shivered as the cool air registered in my open pores once again. 

She grabbed the comforter and pulled it over us and snuggled into my side. This was what life was all about. This was it. It just didn't get any better than this. I was lying in bed with the woman I love in a post-coital haze feeling her warm, tiny body pressed against mine. I hadn't felt this level of contentment ever in my life. 

When my heart rate slowed and my breath came back I said, "Scully, despite what's going on and what's to come, I don't think I've ever been this happy." 

She looked up from my shoulder and kissed me gently. "Me either. We were made for each other, Mulder. I don't know why I denied it for so long." 

I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tight. "All we can do is keep going from here." 

"Like we always do, Mulder, like we always do. Together, we're unstoppable." 

I smiled. She had to be the most amazing woman I'd ever met. "I love you, Scully." 

"I love you too, Mulder. Don't ever doubt it." 

* * *

Morning came early, despite 8 hours sleep and we rose and headed for the shower. Again, we explored each others bodies and I sternly told him that I had to fatten him up. 

He joked that I just wanted him to be as big as I was. It felt good to be relaxed and good to laugh. I realized I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed. 

We dried off and I found a robe for him and some clothes for later. He was surprised to find that I had half his wardrobe in my apartment. I had smiled sheepishly and blushed when he discovered the row of suits and the piles of tee shirts and jeans and sweats that were tucked away in my drawers. 

He'd asked the question without a word by simply looking at me with his inquisitive expression. "They ... they smelled like you," I finally admitted. "My dirty little secret. When I was so lonely I couldn't stand it and when I missed you so bad, I would pull out some of your clothes and take them to bed with me. Your cologne lingers on a lot of them and if I could smell you, I could fall asleep when nothing else worked." 

His eyes had gotten suspiciously wet, but he didn't cry. He just folded me into his arms again. He murmured in my ear, "Ah, Scully, you have no idea what you do to me." 

We dressed and headed straight to the lab at work. I wanted to have one of the technicians draw the blood there. My own doctor would ask too many questions that I was not prepared to answer. I simply told the tech I needed two 35 cc blood samples to run some of my own tests because I was a high risk pregnancy. No more questions were asked and I was given the sample. Being a doctor, no one questioned my desire to run extra tests on myself. I had asked for the extra 5 c.c.s just to be on the safe side. I didn't want some bounty hunter coming after me saying there wasn't enough. The other vial was in fact to run some of my own tests. 

We proceeded to the Gunmen's place and they ran some of the sample through their banks of bizarre equipment that neither Mulder nor I had ever understood. I had asked them to check the DNA strands, the immune enzymes and several other things. They said they would get back to us. 

* * *

**HOOVER BUILDING**  
**SATURDAY MORNING**  
10:00 AM 

We tried to sneak into the Hoover Building without being seen but had no luck. Agents deluged us with awe and well wishes. Mulder shook more hands than he wanted to and tried to be gracious to all. There were still plenty of people around although it was a Saturday. The Hoover Building never slept, so to speak. We could hear all the whispers as we walked away. Mulder placed his hand on the small of my back and I felt a warm glow at the familiar gesture that I had missed so much in the last six months. We made it to Skinner's office finally and Kimberly buzzed him to let him know we were there. 

Skinner admitted us immediately. He told us to take a seat, but then pointed to a cabinet on his wall and discreetly jerked his thumb upwards. We looked up to see only a fire alarm. We assumed he was letting us know that there were either cameras or listening devices installed there and we must be careful. 

We nodded, acknowledging his warning. "How are doing, Mulder?" 

"O.K., still a little dazed and confused." 

"I'll bet. Will you be returning to your apartment?" 

"I'm going back there this afternoon to get some more stuff. But I will be staying with Agent Scully for now. I may sublet my apartment." 

Skinner nodded. "Normally, this would be a problem where the Bureau is concerned. However, I have discussed all this with Kirsch and believe it or not, he is willing to make an exception for you two." 

I detected a hesitant note in his voice. I glanced at Mulder and then asked, "But there are conditions, correct?" 

Skinner smirked at my getting right to the point. "Yes, unfortunately. I tried to explain to him the unusual circumstances with you two. He knows of Scully's pregnancy. It became too obvious to hide about a month ago, and we let it out that she was pregnant. But no one knew exactly how far along she was." 

Mulder swallowed. "Does everyone know who the father is?" 

Skinner shook his head. "Kirsch does, now. I had to tell him, otherwise I couldn't justify the request for special circumstances to keep you two working together. I know that neither one of you wants to run the X-Files without the other." 

We both nodded. I sighed. Mulder was exceptionally quiet for him, but I could understand it. He wasn't sure what was going to happen and wasn't really prepared to deal with it yet. I couldn't blame him. He spoke up finally. "Sir, whatever you and Agent Scully decide is fine with me. Frankly, I can't think about all this just yet. I'm not ready to come back here. I need to some time to be acclimated again. My body is still weak and I need to build up my strength before I attempt to go back out in the field. I could handle some office duty but that's about it right now." 

Skinner addressed him kindly. "Mulder, no one expects you to come back to work right away. Most people don't even know you're back yet. I figured you'd want to some private time, for yourself and with Agent Scully." 

He looked at me now. I asked the question I dreaded. "So we can stay together and work on the X-Files together, under what conditions?" 

Skinner swallowed heavily and then said in a low, soft voice, "You have to get married." 

I knew my eyes flew wide open. I didn't dare look at Mulder. We hadn't ever discussed that, obviously. We'd only been together once for God sakes before he was taken. How would he react to that? It was too much for him to have to think about right now. I immediately lodged a protest. "Sir, that's ridiculous! He just got back, they can't expect him to make such a huge decision at this time!" 

Then I saw Skinner smirking in Mulder's direction and finally chanced a look at Mulder. I gaped at the expression on his face. His hand was wrapped around his middle, trying to suppress his laughter. When I met his eyes, he let it loose and laughed a full throated belly laugh. In between his guffaws, he gulped out, "Oh, Gee,... what a ... hardship! ... I don't ... know if I could... handle that!" He was obviously being extremely facetious. 

Skinner and I both began to laugh with him and I felt a weight lift off my chest that I hadn't even known was there. Mulder finally got his mirth under control. "This wasn't the way I wanted to approach Scully about it, but what the hell? Since when does anything work out for us the way it does for normal people." 

Skinner beamed and began to examine in desk blotter in minute detail as if it held the answers to the universe. Mulder turned to me again. "So Agent Scully, want to tie the knot?" 

I could do nothing but chuckle. This was unbelievable. I shook my head in wonder. He knew it wasn't a denial. "Mulder, we should talk about this," I said, automatically feeling my impulse to be logical and think things through. 

He shook his head. "No we don't. I love you, Scully. You're going to be the mother of my child. I planned on asking you to marry me anyway. I just didn't think last night was the time. We had enough other things to discuss. Plus, I wanted to go out and get a ring and do it right. I also didn't want you to think that I was asking just because of the baby. It had crossed my mind even before that night in Oregon." 

Skinner cleared his throat. "Perhaps you should discuss this in private." He was obviously embarrassed that he was a witness to this discussion. 

Mulder smiled. "It's O.K., you're going to have to know our decision and you have to tell Kirsch anyway, right?" 

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to witness the whole process, Mulder." 

I smiled, strangely not feeling embarrassed that Skinner was looking on. He had become a very good friend over the last six months. I honestly didn't know what I would have done without him. "It's, O.K.," I replied. 

Knowing that Mulder had thought about it before I was pregnant, hell, before we'd slept together eased another kernel of doubt that I didn't know was there. I knew he loved me. But getting married was a whole other kettle of fish. Just because you wanted a relationship, didn't mean you wanted the ultimate commitment right away. We hadn't even really had time to establish our new intimate relationship. But then again, we didn't really need to. We had been establishing it for the last seven years. Our intimacy was just a natural extension of the intimate relationship that already had existed. 

He was smiling that toothy smile at me that made my stomach do flip flops. It started to fade and I realized that I hadn't responded. I saw Skinner tense up as if the mood was about to change. I smiled softly at Mulder and saw both men relax. Then, just to carry on the unconventionality of our relationship, I asked. "Mulder, would you do me the honor of being my husband?" 

He and Skinner both howled with laughter. Skinner said, "That's so...so, Scully!" They both laughed harder at that. Mulder was out of his seat in a flash and pulling me up and into his arms. 

He rocked me quickly back and forth and planted a jerky kiss on the crown of my head. Then his voice dipped into a lower register than before. "Yes, Scully, I would love to be your husband, more than anything in the world." 

I tipped my head up and he cradled my face between his palms and leaned down to kiss me. It was soft, chaste kiss. He went to deepen it and I pulled back, nodding my head toward Skinner. Mulder glanced at him, shrugging sheepishly. "Ooppss." 

Skinner chuckled. "O.K., sit down again, there's one more thing." 

We sat and I asked. "Another condition?" 

"No, another decision," he replied. 

"What?" 

He said one word. "Doggett." 

I gasped. In all the confusion and excitement of the last evening and this morning, I had completely forgotten about my new partner. I felt a small wave of guilt that I had not even phoned him to tell him of Mulder's return. Despite our rocky start, we had become tentative friends and had developed a working relationship. It would never be anything like the one I had shared with Mulder for the last seven years, but it was workable. 

He had even reassured me that he would never try to take Mulder's place. He was the only one, other than Skinner, who had known that Mulder was the father of my baby. I'd ended up telling him after we had a heart to heart where he apologized for the way he had tried to manipulate me when we first met. He had told me that his insinuations about Mulder confiding in women at the Bureau had been a ruse to see what I would say. He had felt contrite and admitted that he had not had any idea just how close we were at the time. 

Mulder had a puzzled look on his face. He looked at me. "Doggett? Who's that?" 

"Agent Doggett," I said blandly. 

Mulder nodded slowly. "And who, pray tell, is Agent Doggett?" 

I swallowed hard, knowing how this was going to sound, no matter how I said it. "He's my ... partner ... Mulder." 

The look of hurt that flashed over his face was almost more than I could bear. I immediately began to heal the wound I had just inflicted. "No, Mulder, it's not like that!" 

"You chose another partner?" He sounded so hurt and lost. 

"No! Will you listen to me? Please!" 

He nodded, but frowned, trying not to look as hurt as I knew he felt. 

"Mulder, he was the head of a task force that was set up to search for you when you first disappeared. He was assigned by Kirsch." 

"There was a task force?" 

Skinner piped up at this point. "Yes, and Doggett was the head. He's an ex-cop from New York City. Tough, but honest and fair. And of course, he's a skeptic." 

Mulder nodded and looked at me to continue. I took a deep breath. "We didn't get along at first. And that's an understatement. He tried to manipulate me and Skinner into telling him things. We didn't trust each other at all and Kirsch had put the pressure on both Skinner and I NOT to link your disappearance to the paranormal or alien abduction. He went so far as to threaten our jobs." 

"You've got to be kidding!" 

"No, he didn't want us to 'embarrass' the Bureau." 

"Poor baby," Mulder uttered. 

Skinner interrupted again. "Mulder, we thought Doggett was Kirsch's lap dog at first But in a very short time, it became apparent to him and us that Kirsch was just using him. Kirsch knew that there was no way he could get out of this without mentioning certain weird occurrences and I refused to lie and sell you out." 

Mulder almost smiled at this, expressing his gratitude with a look. Skinner continued. "I talked to him and made him aware of my suspicions, that Kirsch was going to use him as a scapegoat and probably ruin his career. I told him that Kirsch knew he wouldn't be successful UNLESS he checked out the alien theories and then he would nail him. 

"Then we sat back and waited to see what he would do. He surprised us both when he decided to listen to Scully and check out her suggestions. He didn't know whether to believe her or not, but he went with her instincts and he bucked Kirsch. He gave him a report fully explaining all the weird shit that happened surrounding our search for Gibson Praise." 

"Gibson Praise?" Now Mulder really looked confused. 

"Look," I said. "We'll explain that later. Suffice it to say, that Kirsch busted him down, broke up the task force and assigned Doggett to the X-Files. I guess he figured to an ambitious guy like Doggett, that would be a horrible punishment." 

Mulder asked, "And it wasn't?" 

"Not really. He wasn't happy at first, but then I came in the following Monday to find that he had sat in the basement all weekend and read every one of our files." 

"Every one?" Even Mulder sounded impressed. 

"Every one. So despite his discontent about his assignment, he was obviously taking it seriously." 

"I guess so. Sounds like a decent guy." This was said with reluctance like he was conceding but only because he knew it would be ungracious not to. 

"Mulder, he's an O.K. guy. We don't see eye to eye. Neither of us could protest Kirsch without ending up in worse shape than we already were. I couldn't risk losing my job and the Bureau resources I would need to search for you. And he couldn't risk his job either, he loves being an agent. And frankly, I think he has come to enjoy our investigations, although we've only done about four real X-Files investigations." 

Mulder hung his head. "So, you have a new partner." 

I sighed. "Mulder, I have two partners. And you know as well as I do that no one could ever replace you. He didn't even try. He knew it from the start that he would never measure up to you in my eyes. He knew the X-Files were your baby, your life." 

"You're my life, Scully." 

I felt tears clog the back of my throat. "It wasn't always that way." 

"No, you're right. But it's that way now." 

I nodded. "Mulder?" 

"Yeah?" 

"On our first case, I didn't think he would, but he watched my back. He didn't believe the evidence of what we were seeing, but he didn't hesitate to back me up. He was attacked by this creature that I'll tell you about later. And he was injured, and still came after me. He saved my life, Mulder. He scared the thing off and we both were able to shoot at it. I'm sure we hit it but it got away." 

"Later, I was taken hostage by some religious cult and they put some huge parasite into my spine. I'd left him out of the loop and he came looking for me anyway. He saved my life Mulder. He cut that thing out of me and got me out of there, right from underneath their noses. They would have killed me, or that thing would have. That's another story for later." 

Mulder reached over and took my hand in his. "Then I owe the man my thanks. If he kept you safe, then I can hardly hate him now, can I?" He paused. "No matter how much I want to." 

We both grinned at this. Skinner had been silent again for some time, but now he interrupted again. "The decision, which isn't really ours is whether Agent Doggett will remain on the X-Files and assist the two of you, or whether he will be transferred. Knowing your back, Mulder, he may immediately apply for a transfer to another department." 

I looked at Skinner. "Or maybe not." Both men looked at me now. "I think he's come to enjoy the unconventional nature of the X-Files." 

Skinner nodded. "Maybe, but we will ask him first what he wants to do. I'm asking you two what you want. Then we'll go from there. I will back you two up with whatever decision you make and I will go to bat for you with Kirsch. You know I will, but I don't have the pull that I used to." 

Mulder said, "Let us get back to you on that. I'd like to meet the guy first. Only then can I make an educated decision on whether I think I could work with him or not. And I will try to respect whatever decision he wants to make for himself." 

I spoke up again, another thought occurring to me. "Mulder, if he decides to stay, I don't want to set up a competition situation here. There is none. Do you understand that? Do you understand that no one can take your place. If he stays, we all need to work TOGETHER, not compete with each other or it would never work." 

He nodded. "Let's think about it some more. I want to meet the guy, as I said. It might be nice to have someone else to help out, now that I think about it. We'll see." 

I felt myself soften at his concession. He wasn't dismissing Doggett outright. But I knew that they both had personalities to be reckoned with. It could go either way. Either they would respect each other right away and be willing to feel the situation out, or they would hate each other right away. Only time would tell. 

* * *

* * *

**PART 5 (NC-17)**  
**FOX MULDER'S APARTMENT**  
**1:00 PM - SATURDAY**

We packed more of Mulder's clothes into several suitcases that he had. He grabbed his computer and some other items that he thought he might want for work. When it was all piled by the door, we took a break and ordered some Chinese food delivered. He made a call to his landlord, explaining that he was thinking of subletting the apartment. The landlord had no problem with that. Mulder had been a tenant for years and he knew that he was a FBI agent. He was surprised to hear he was back and welcomed him. Mulder turned to me while on the phone and gave me a strange look. 

When he hung up he looked at me again and said, "Scully, you paid my rent?" 

"Yeah, of course I did. I didn't want you to lose the place. I didn't know when you might be back. Sometimes I came here and slept, just to be near your things. It comforted me sometimes. I felt close to you here." 

He gathered me into his arms again, seemingly at a loss for words. "I'll pay you back." 

"Don't worry about it." 

"Of course I'll worry about it!" 

"Don't, you can make it up to me other ways." 

He pulled back and waggled his eyebrows at me. "Oh, what other ways would those be?" 

I smiled my most predatory smile and enjoyed the look of sudden desire that swept over his features. I was amazed that I could effect him this way. I'd had no idea if our one night of passion so long ago had been about saying good-bye, had been a fluke, or if it was seriously the culmination of the inevitable. Apparently it was meant to be, because all we had to do was see each other again and it was obvious that neither of us had gotten anywhere near satisfying our need for one another physically. 

He mock growled at me and I chuckled. "We should wait for the food," he said. "I don't want to start something and then have to stop." 

I agreed and we went to sit on the couch. We talked idly for a while, making plans about what to do for the next couple of days. We needed to go see my mother. She was going to be doing cartwheels. She loved Mulder almost as much as I did. Well, not that way! But she treated him like a son. 

Even Bill had mellowed his opinion since he'd seen my devastation in the wake of his disappearance. Maybe it was because he'd been gone. But Bill had actually taken the time to listen to some stories I had to tell. He actually listened when I told him of Mulder's infinite capacity for compassion and helping the underdog. I described his loyalty and dedication. Bill was particularly pleased when I railed against how protective Mulder was of me. He'd always been under the impression that Mulder manipulated me into going with him into dangerous situations. I explained that in fact, he infuriated me by ditching me over and over simply to avoid taking me into danger. Bill had said it was a red letter day. He actually agreed with Mulder's behavior on that one. I'd given him a dirty look and he'd just laughed. 

I needed to call Doggett. I'd asked Skinner to let me do it. I wanted him to hear things from me. It was the least I could do. He'd proven himself to be a fair and intelligent investigator. And although he was as much of a skeptic as I used to be, he respected me and didn't dismiss my opinions. 

The food arrived and we ate in relative silence. It was a comfortable silence. We stole glances and smiles throughout our meal and just enjoyed being in the same room together. Funny how losing someone you love makes you realize how many things in life just aren't nearly as important as you always thought they were. Being with Mulder, having his baby, being a family and being loved; these were things that were important. Yes, our jobs were important but they weren't the MOST important things. As long as we were together and willing to stop hiding and express how we felt, things would be O.K. 

We finished eating and threw out our containers. Mulder placed his garbage out, not wanting to stink up the apartment as he didn't know when he would be back. We were cuddling on the couch when he began nipping little kisses along my shoulders as he sat behind me. I hummed at the skittering sensation that they caused to dance down my spine. He chuckled and began raising my shirt over my sweater over my head. I stood up and did an impromptu strip tease for him that had him panting and hanging his tongue out, making me laugh like a school girl. I felt giddy. I'd been afraid that perhaps my pregnancy would turn him off. After last night, that fear vanished. I realized, quite to my surprise, that it actually turned him on. He seemed fascinated with the fuller weight and sensitivity of my breasts. 

I had warned him not to get too attached because they would go back to normal eventually, although I did plan on breast feeding if I could. He'd smiled indulgently and announced that he knew that but he was going to enjoy the changes in my body while they lasted. And when I returned to normal size, he would rediscover that body all over again too. He always seemed to say just the right thing. 

I was surprised at how husky my voice was when I said, "Mulder, lose the clothes. I want to be screwed on this couch." 

He'd jumped up laughing and shaking his head. He began stripping right there in front of the couch, tossing his clothes in a haphazard pile. He said, "It's almost surreal hearing you say those things. I dreamed about them for so long. I keep pinching myself to make sure this is real." 

He led me over to the couch and gently positioned me on all fours, my weight balanced on my forearms which rested on the arm of the couch. He sucked my juices from between my legs until I was squirming with anticipation. He finally positioned himself behind me and teased my entrance with the head of his engorged member. 

I shuddered remembering how good this felt last night. The anticipation was half the fun, but the reality was even better, I realized as he slowly pushed inside me. Feeling my walls stretch to accommodate his not inconsiderable girth, I moaned and shivered at the feel of it. Once embedded, he stopped and ran his fingers over my back. I pushed back against him, urging him into action. 

In response, he bent forward and lifted me up somewhat so that I kneeling on a forty-five degree angle. He placed his left hand on my breast and squeezed, eliciting another moan. His right hand wandered over my belly in comforting, warm circles as he began to thrust gently in and out. 

I was overwhelmed by the rippling waves of sensation coursing through my body as he slowly built my arousal to a fine, sharp point. He whispered, "Don't hide from me, Scully, let me hear you. It's such a turn on." 

I let go the last little bit of sound that I was holding back by biting my lip and started to make unintelligible sounds as he sped up his strokes. He let me fall forward to balance on the arm of the couch and grabbed my hips. He began stroking me hard and fast. Then I felt him lean over and put his hands next to mine on the arm of the couch. 

His torso bent over my body this way, his chest skittered against my sweat slicked skin with every thrust, making me shiver with warm tingles. It also positioned him so that he was stroking from above me. I began murmuring nonsense about how he felt like he was in so deep and how full I felt. He began grunting with the effort. This new angle hit the magic spot inside me and I screamed his name as my orgasm washed through me like a slow motion pulse, hot and hard and satisfying. 

I pulled him over the edge with me and he jerked into me losing his rhythm as he spurted hot semen inside my core. It felt so hot and I almost swooned at the sensation. He remained in that position for almost a minute, panting and regaining our bearings. Finally, he pulled gently out of my tunnel and I moaned at the loss. He helped me to my feet. Without saying a word he led me to the shower. We cleaned up, dressed and headed back to my apartment. 

Once there, I called my mother and made plans to go to her house tomorrow. She had cried and hooted and hollered when I told her of Mulder's return. She was still thanking God for answering her prayers when I hung up. 

* * *

**MAGGIE SCULLY'S HOUSE**  
**11:45 AM - SUNDAY MORNING**

We arrived just before noon at my mother's house. As I entered the door after a quick knock, my mother came careening around the corner from the kitchen and launched herself into Mulder's arms. 

He almost staggered under the blow to his body but managed to rock back on his heels and regained his balance, lifting her feet off the floor, chuckling at her exuberance. She rained little peck kisses all his face and he flushed with embarrassment. He was not used to this kind of affection from his mother. I finally pried her off him, "Ma, that's enough." 

She stepped back grinning like a Cheshire cat and looked him up and down. And then in true motherly fashion, the first words out of her mouth were, "Fox, you're too thin. I'll have to see what I can do about fattening you up!" 

We both chuckled and deposited our coats on her coat rack. We made our way to the dining room table where she had made a chicken and vermicelli casserole. We both ate ourselves sick while Mulder answered my mother's questions, most of which centered around his health. She didn't ask him about his experiences away until after we'd eaten and settled down with coffee and crumb cake to finish off our lunch. Finally she asked, "What happened to you, Fox?" 

He looked at me as if asking how much he should say. I shrugged my shoulders, telling him it didn't matter to me. As if echoing my thoughts, my mother said, "Whatever you are comfortable telling me, Fox, is all right with me. I don't mean to pry, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious." 

As if to judge her reaction he said, "I was taken by aliens." 

Her eyes widened but she didn't contradict him. She merely nodded, encouraging him to continue. He sighed. "I know that sounds fantastic and I know you probably don't believe in them, but they are real, trust me." 

She nodded again. "They tested me, did experiments and from what I could gather made a very thorough search of my immune system and brain activity." He paused. "How much did Dana tell you?" 

I startled a little bit at the use of my first name, but then remembered that he'd always used it around my mother. She answered, "She told me you were dying from some mysterious decline in your nervous system." 

He nodded. "Well, I'm not anymore." 

Her eyebrows raised. Mulder chuckled. "You always remind me so much of Dana when you do that eyebrow thing." 

My mother scrunched her brow. "What eyebrow thing?" 

We both chuckled. He shook his head slightly and dismissed it, continuing with his story. "They did hurt me but I later learned that this was not their intent. They needed to study me in order to figure out how to control the decline in my nervous system. Certain ... things ... were activated in my body from being exposed to certain other things." 

My mother smiled. "Oh, that's crystal clear." This was said blandly with a twinkle in her eyes. Mulder smiled again. 

"Sorry, I just feel weird telling anyone but Dana about this." 

"It's O.K. Like I said, whatever you want to tell me." He looked at me again. 

I said, "Tell her the truth. She'll either believe you or not." 

He nodded and proceeded to tell her about the artifact activating his brain, about his stay in the hospital and his later battle with his nerves controlling his muscles. He told her about the torture but left out the truly gruesome parts of it. Then he ended by telling her that he had a chip in his neck like Dana's. He didn't tell her about the blood or the deal he'd made to save me the anguish of being taken like he had been. 

Maybe I would tell her about that later, but I didn't feel that now was the time. She accepted his story with an amazing amount of calm, never displaying any surprise of disbelief, although I knew she must have had some disbelief. When he was finished she merely said, "I wouldn't tell Bill this story. He won't believe you. I'm not saying to lie to him, but why create the tension between you again." 

"Again?" Mulder asked. 

I spoke up. "Bill's opinion of you has softened considerably since you left. He was willing to finally listen to me about what our relationship was about and how you really treated me. I told him that you respected and loved and protected me and he believed me, finally." 

Mulder's mouth was hanging open. All he said was, "Well, I guess miracles never cease." Mom laughed at that and I decided it was time to turn the subject to happier things. 

"Mom, we have to tell you something else." 

"Yes? What is it?" She sounded worried, suddenly. 

I smiled to reassure her. "No, this is a good something else." 

She waited patiently. "O.K., tell me." 

I took a deep breath. "We're going to get married." 

Mom sat stock still for about three second and then broke out into a winning smile. She looked at my hand. 

"No, we didn't get the ring yet. We just decided yesterday." I figured she didn't need to know that it was a condition of the Bureau in order for us to continue working together. I didn't want her thinking anything other than that this was because we loved each other. Bill didn't need to know either. I also had a little niggle of fear that he felt obligated to marry me because of the baby. Despite what he'd said, our intimate relationship was an awfully new thing. We never had time to become a 'couple', but then again, we'd been one in every way but the physical way for a long time. 

Then Mulder surprised me when he said, "I have a ring." 

I whipped around to face him. "What? Your mother's rings?" I knew he'd taken them when she had died. 

He smiled that mischievous smile that he has. "No, I wouldn't give you my mother's hand me downs!" 

"I wouldn't look at it that way! Your mother had beautiful jewels!" 

"Yes, and they are all yours if you want them." 

I swallowed. "So, you have another ring?" He smirked, enjoying making me squirm. I glanced at my mother and she looked entirely too amused by this whole thing. I almost shouted, "What ring?!" 

He chuckled softly. "I bought you a ring." 

"When could you have done that? We just decided to get married yesterday!" 

"I didn't say when I bought it." 

I sat in stunned silence. 

After a beat or two, he looked down, seeming embarrassed. "I bought it ... almost a year ago." 

I gasped. "Why?" That was dumb question! 

He looked at me and chuckled again. "Why do men usually buy diamond rings?" 

I swallowed hard. My voice was a very wimpy sort of whine. "Mulder, just tell me. Don't make me beg this story out of you." 

He grinned, looked at my mother and back at me. "I was going to ask you to marry me." He looked away briefly. "But I ... chickened out. I was going to ... try to take us to another level ... but the timing never seemed right. I've been in love with you for a long time, Scully. These feelings aren't new for me." 

I stood up out of my chair and motioned to him. He stood and took me in his arms, burying his head in my shoulder. I said, "So you really aren't just doing this because of the baby." It was a statement, not a question. 

He pulled back. "Of course not! I told you that!" 

"I know but there was still that kernel of doubt." 

He kissed me softly. We sat back down and turned to my mother who was watching us like a hawk. Her face lit up suddenly. 

"O.K., now that we've settled that, When?" 

I shook my head. "We haven't worked out the details, but it will be soon. I want to be married before the baby comes. And, " I gave her a stern look of warning. "I want it to be simple and uncomplicated!" 

She smiled another one of those smiles that always worried me. "Mom!" 

"Oh, O.K., whatever you want. I'm just delighted that you're baby won't be born out of wedlock. Congratulations, you two. You don't know how happy you've made me." 

I knew that would make her bulb glow. We discussed possible wedding plans for the rest of the afternoon. My mother agreed to call Father McCue and see what his schedule looked like. We then returned home exhausted. 

* * *

**DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT**  
**4:00 PM - SUNDAY**

We puttered around the kitchen, making coffee, deciding what to eat for dinner, and stealing kisses and hugs from each other as we went about our business. I felt a sense of peace I hadn't felt in a long time. In fact, I wasn't sure if I'd ever felt it. I'd seen some women who were pregnant, look haggard. But Scully glowed. Her lush, full breasts were wrapped in a new maternity bra that she had purchased to accommodate her larger size. 

Her belly stuck out noticeably but not enough yet to impede her graceful movements. She smiled and me and returned to refrigerator. She looked ... happy. I knew we still had lots to deal with but I so hoped for a decent future for us. I still didn't feel like I deserved her or her love. But I had determined to lay my heart at her feet and never keep anything from her ever again. I realized how my omissions had hurt her and I was going to learn from my mistakes for once. 

Scully had called her ... partner, as soon as we got home and asked him to come over. She'd said nothing except that I was back and unharmed for the most part and she wanted us to meet. I wondered if he'd ever been in her apartment before. I wondered if he had a key for emergencies. Then I shook my head to clear it from this line of thinking. I was not going to be a jealous asshole. 

I knew Scully loved me and there was no reason to be jealous. I trusted her. After all, it had taken me seven years to break through her barriers. How much could he have possibly done in six months? The doorbell rang and Scully moved to answer it, leaving the spaghetti boiling on the stove. I moved to stir it before following her into the living room. 

I heard her murmured greeting and her invite for him to come in. I stepped into the living room and stopped. There he was. He was about my age. His eyes were penetrating and I had the eerie feeling he was looking right through me. I shook it off, seeing his uncertainty. He certainly wasn't afraid, just unsure of how he was supposed to react. 

I glanced at Scully and saw the tension in her face. She was worried about how I was going to react. Well, I thought I'd best take care of that right away. Be a good sport, Mulder, I told myself. I stepped forward and stuck out my hand. "Agent Doggett, nice to meet you." 

He visibly released a breath he was holding and grabbed my hand in a firm grip. I glanced at Scully again and she was smiling. Mission accomplished. I'd do anything just to see that smile on her face everyday. That smile said, I'm proud of you, I'm proud to be with you, and I couldn't get enough of it. I wanted to be worthy of that smile. 

He nodded. "You too, F..uh, Mulder, right?" 

"Yeah, I don't particularly like my first name." 

He grinned at that. "Weird, I always wished I had a name like Bret or Spencer or Wolf." 

I cocked my head to the side, wondering out loud, "Why the hell would you want that?" 

He chuckled. "John is such a common name. I always wanted to be unique." 

"Didn't work out for you, huh?" 

He actually laughed and I was glad he hadn't taken it the wrong way. "No, no it didn't. I seem to have become my father, despite my best attempts not to. I'm so normal I disgust myself sometimes!" 

We shared a chuckle and Scully waved us to the dining room table. I heard her draining the pasta and excused myself. "Have a seat, John. I just want to see if she needs any help." 

He nodded and I went into the kitchen, helping her put the sauce in a bowl and then carried it out to the table along with the pasta. She appeared with an empty glass, asked what he wanted to drink and then disappeared again. She reemerged with our glasses, giving me an ice tea, herself an orange juice and John a glass of milk. I'd always marveled at the variety of beverages that always seemed to grace her refrigerator. 

We made small talk and settled into coffee again after eating an apple pie that Scully had defrosted and popped in the oven. She said that she made them every year and froze them for later. Something else I'd never known about her. It was delicious. I found that I couldn't eat much at one sitting though. My stomach had obviously shrunk and it would be some time before I could eat a full meal again. 

Finally, John addressed the reason he was here. "So, I assume you asked me over here to discuss my future with the X-Files." Right to the point. I guess I couldn't fault him for that. I could see that although he'd been nothing but polite, he was unsure of me and my opinion. 

Scully asked, "What do you want, John?" 

He looked at her, his face softening a bit. I felt a flash of irritation but quickly tamped it down. "I'm not sure, Dana." 

Dana? He called her Dana? I cleared my throat. "He calls you Dana?" 

They both turned to looked at me, he looked unsure again, she looked almost remorseful. She reached out to take my hand on top of the table. "Mulder, we've always called each other by our last names. At first, well, I know why we did it at first, but it didn't work, did it?" 

I shook my head, seeing her point. "And now, our last names are almost an endearment when we say them to each other. We're just so used to it, but other people aren't. It's not as if John has had any liberties that you haven't had. I want you to be clear on this. I've told John how I feel about you. He's fully aware of my feelings for you and he's never tried to take your place, either as my colleague or as my partner. But we are partners and we have come to care for each other as friends. Not close like you and me, but we respect each other. I wouldn't want you to call me Dana now. Scully and Mulder are who we are to each other. You understand?" 

I nodded, swallowing thickly. God, I loved this woman. I looked at John again. "Look, I'm sorry. I've only been back a couple of days, not even. I'm still feeling my way through all of this. I don't mean to sound like a prick. I don't mean to give you the impression that I don't like you. I don't know you well enough to like or dislike you. But I do know that you've watched Scully's back out there and you've been a good partner to her. I wanted to thank you for that." 

He tried to hide the look of surprise that flashed across his face, but I caught it. Obviously, Scully hadn't expressed this to him directly. "Uh, thanks," he uttered, looking at Scully, then returning his gaze to me. 

I continued. "So, we've been asked to talk to you and find out what you want. I wanted to meet you and make sure we didn't immediately rub each other the wrong way." 

He smiled at that. "Same here. I honestly didn't know what to expect. I was shocked when I realized Dana was pregnant. Then I was even more shocked when I found out you were the father. I won't lie to you about that. I'd known you two were close. Your eerie sort of connection with one another was almost legendary in the Bureau, but I didn't realize you were THAT close." 

We both chuckled at that. He went on. "It was then I realized why Dana had been so insulted when I insinuated that she didn't really know you as well as she thought she did." 

He examined the table cloth at this point and I looked at Scully. She mouthed, "Later." I nodded. That should be an interesting story. 

"So John, do you want to transfer out or do you want to stay on?" Let's get this show on the road, I thought. 

He was silent a moment. "I don't want to be a third wheel. If I stay, I've got to know that you guys will treat me as an equal partner. I know that a threesome is an unusual situation." 

We both smirked at his choice of words and his eyes widened as he realized what he had said. He chuckled, "I didn't mean it that way." 

"I know," I replied, suppressing a chuckle. "Go on." 

"I realize that you two have been together for seven years and no one can come in between that bond. I don't expect to and I wouldn't want to. But I won't be left out of the loop either. I won't be able to work under those circumstances, if you were to feel you couldn't be forthcoming with me and clue me in on all aspects of the cases we were investigating." 

He paused. "If you think you can work with me, Mulder, I'd like to give it a try. I like the X-Files. I didn't think I would at first, but now I've gotten a taste for them and I see what Dana fell in love with. They are a challenge you won't find anywhere else. And they are never dull." 

We both smiled at him. "No, dull they aren't," I quipped. 

"I can always transfer out later if we find things get too awkward or any one of us isn't comfortable with the situation. But I would like to give it a try. Of course, I'm not sure what the Bureau thinks. I'm not entirely clear on that. I mean, three people as partners? The expenses would definitely go up and I don't know how the Bureau feels about having three agents on the X-Files." 

Dana cut in here. "I think they will be O.K. with it. Once upon a time, they didn't want to spend an extra dime on us if they could help it. But over the years, Mulder and I have proved that we were worth the money. We have a higher solve rate than any team in the Bureau, despite the weird nature of our cases. They can't just dismiss that out of hand, although they do occasionally get upset with our unconventional means of investigation. Plus, we'd still only need two hotel rooms!" 

We all laughed at that. He remarked, "You'd be treading on thin ice, there." 

Scully smirked. "No we won't. We're going to get married." 

He was obviously surprised by this statement. "You are? And they're still going to let you work together?" 

I cut in. "Yes, in fact, they made it a prerequisite. But we were planning on getting married anyway." No use in having him think we were doing this just to stay working together. I wanted to present a united front to this guy, despite my waning misgivings. 

He shook his head in amazement. "Well, if the Bureau doesn't kick, I'd like to give it a try and see what happens." 

Scully smiled. "I want to also. I think it will work out O.K. I really do. You agree to give us some privacy now and then when we need it. And we'll agree to not to keep anything from you that concerns a case. But we may need to keep some personal experiences between us. You need to know that. But it won't be because we are trying to HIDE anything from you. If we keep it from you, it's because it's personal, between us." 

"Because it will be a 'couple' thing." It was a statement, not a question. 

I smiled, liking the sound of him referring to us as a couple. It sounded strange, but I liked it. I could definitely get used to that. Scully nodded. He stood and said that he had to be going and he would keep in touch. Scully reminded him that we would be out for at least another week. She told him to call if anything came up thought that he wanted help with. 

We were all shaking hands, when I felt a draft sweep down the hall and into the foyer as we stood at the front door. I whirled around just in time to see a clone of Doggett walk around the corner. Doggett reached for his weapon, which was secured to his belt, despite his casual clothes of jeans and an oxford shirt, but I touched his arm briefly in warning. 

"Hexla?" I inquired. Doggett's gaze whipped back and forth between me and Scully. I slowly moved her behind me when he didn't answer. I nodded at John and he understood, taking Scully's arm and drawing her into the living room away from the man. He looked a little panicked. I knew how unnerving it was to look at a clone of yourself. I'd been there, done that. 

"Why are you here?" 

"You know why I'm here," he replied, sounding exactly like Doggett. 

"Are you Hexla?" 

He smiled an evil smile at Doggett and I watched John rest his hand on his weapon, but he didn't draw it. I regretted that I didn't have my Sig with me. I had no idea where that had gone. I had packed my Baretta 9mm, automatic pistol though when we went to my apartment. It was my personal weapon. It was in the bedroom, still in one of my suitcases. 

After leering at Doggett, obviously trying to intimidate him, he cocked his head slightly to the side, shuddered and metamorphosed into the bounty hunter right before our eyes. I heard Doggett gasp and glanced to see Scully grabbing his forearms to steady him. He nodded at her, saying he was O.K. for the moment and she let go. 

The alien chuckled. "No, Hexla sent me. I am Hemplar." 

"O.K., Hexla promised me that no harm would come to Scully." 

The alien nodded. "This is true, as long as I get what I came for." 

"I'll get it." Before I took a step, I pointed to the kitchen. "It's in there." 

He nodded. I moved slowly into the kitchen, feeling fear creep up my spine. They all looked alike, but somehow, I had been hoping it was Hexla who would come. Not that he wasn't as dangerous as the rest, but he was the one I had made the agreement with. I had no way of knowing if this one would abide by that agreement. 

I walked to the fridge and yanked open the door. I took a deep breath when I noticed my hand shaking as I reached for the tube of blood, propped carefully in the butter tray. 

I turned to see him standing in the doorway. A half counter separated the kitchen from the living room and Scully and Doggett could both see me over the counter. He backed out of the doorway to let me through. I walked arm's length away from him and he held out his hand. 

"Wait." 

A look of anger crossed his face. "Hexla also said that the listening devices would be removed." 

His face relaxed. "Yes, it is so." He turned and walked to Scully's fireplace. What looked like a static electricity spark flew from his finger as he touched the mantle and I saw a flash of metallic land in his palm before he closed his fingers. It was deposited in his pocket and he walked calmly into the bedroom. I motioned for Doggett and Scully to stay put. Neither seemed inclined to follow me. 

I followed Hemplar into the bedroom and watched as he removed another device from under her dresser and then one from the underside of her toilet tank. Boy, they must have been hidden, we'd never seen them. I saw the open window where he had entered and closed it to keep the cool breeze out. 

He nodded and proceeded back into the living room with me on his heels. He turned. The ones in Skinner's office and your office will be removed by tomorrow. You have my word. 

"Forgive me if I don't trust your word, Hemplar." 

He peered at me silently for a moment. "I tell the truth. I have my orders. I don't know what else to say. I will follow my orders." 

I nodded and held out the tube of blood. He took it gently from me and cradled it in his palm as if it were gold. He actually looked excited and took a deep breath and looked over at Scully. "Thank you. You will not be bothered anymore." 

He pulled a small metal box out from the inside of his jacket and carefully slipped the tube into it, closing and latching it. He then cradled the box in both hands. She nodded firmly but I could see the fear swimming in her eyes. Her voice was surprisingly smooth as she asked, "What about my baby, will you leave it alone too?" 

He didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "I do not know the elders plans. I'm sorry. But I can say this. They look forward to the birth. They may even protect your children. They will be anomalies. They will be the first hybrids that are born naturally. They will not want harm to come to them." 

"Them?" I asked. My voice actually cracked and I had a flash of embarrassment that I soon forgot as he turned and smiled at me. I thought Scully had an enigmatic look, but this topped it by a mile. I pressed again. "Them? Does that mean Scully will be able to have more children?" 

I saw Scully, wide-eyed and ready to cry at this possible revelation. I held my breath waiting for the answer. Doggett was silent this entire time. I could tell he didn't dare move. Hemplar looked between me and Scully, the same amused, enigmatic smile on his face and said simply, "You will see." 

He approached Scully and she tensed. He looked at her. "I will not hurt you." He reached out and touched Scully's stomach with both hands. She flinched but held still. His eyes closed and I saw Scully relax. 

He opened his eyes and stepped back. Then made an announcement. "There will be two. Maybe more later, but definitely two." 

"Hybrids?" I asked. I wondered how far I could push this and how much information he would give us. I wouldn't risk Scully or Doggett, but the more information we had, the better prepared we could be in the future. None of these bounty hunters had ever been this chatty and I wanted to take advantage of it. 

"Your children, the children made of you and your life mate's combined genetic material will be special. They will be immune to viruses and they will also have special abilities, like you." He nodded to me. I still didn't know what my special abilities were. I was almost afraid to find out. 

"Can you tell us what those abilities will be?" 

He shook his head. "I can tell you no more." 

Scully asked. "When you said two, do you mean I will have another after this one?" 

He actually smiled and said, "No, I mean you are carrying two now." 

She gasped. "That's impossible! The sonogram would have showed that!" 

He walked to the door. As he turned back to us a final time, he morphed again and now Skinner stood before us. "I will complete my mission now. The devices will be gone by tonight and before your boss returns Monday morning." He glanced at Scully again. "There are definitely two." 

So saying, he opened the door, still cradling the small box with the blood and closed it softly behind him. 

I rushed to Scully as she nearly swooned. Doggett caught her up under the arms from behind and handed her gently to me as I wrapped her in a tight embrace. He looked totally stunned and just stared at us, waiting for the moment to pass. Scully began to cry silently and I cooed gently to her as she soaked the front of my shirt. "Shhh, it's over now. We did what they asked. Everything's going to be O.K. I'm right here and I'm never leaving you again." 

She hiccuped, "He said ... He said ... and I'm not that big! He said ... he said ... and none of the tests showed... he said ..." She was getting hysterical. 

I cooed to her the best I could. She needed to calm down. My own heart was racing, but I ignored it, seeing her distress. "Shhh, I know what he said. We'll talk about it after the shock has worn off, O.K.? We'll have them check you out again tomorrow. Right now, let's just be grateful this is over for the moment." Twins? Could Scully really be having twins? Holy shit, this whole experience was getting weirder by the minute. I almost felt like I must be leading someone else's life! 

She hugged me tight. I looked at Doggett over her head. He said, "Would you like me to go now?" I could hear all the unanswered questions floating behind that one question. His tone suggested that he was testing me to see if he would be told what was going on here. Was I going to keep him in the loop? So it had begun already. 

I pried Scully head gently away from my chest and tipped her head up with my fingers on her chin. "Are you O.K. with having company still?" 

She sniffled and nodded. "Yeah, just let me freshen up a little. Boy, this has turned out to be long day." 

I smiled at her and let her go. I took a deep breath and motioned him to sit. He took a seat in the arm chair next to the couch. I sat on the couch adjacent to his chair and sighed. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know or need to know. I just wasn't sure if she would be up to going over it all right this minute." 

He nodded. "I understand. I won't lie to you, that shook the hell out of me. She'd told me about these creatures that look like a man but could look like other men. He looked like you when he tried to take Gibson Praise. He leaped off a cliff and somehow got up and walked away. I didn't believe her. I'd seen you with my own eyes. But I knew something wasn't right. I believe her now." 

He put his head in his hands briefly and then wiped them down his face. "Jesus!" His breath was shaky. I felt surprisingly calm. I was relieved that at least this part was over. I felt confident, for no particular reason, that they would leave us alone for a while now. At least until the baby was born. Maybe this was some of the 'intuition' I had been told about. I didn't want to live in constant fear of our child being taken, but it seemed that was my destiny. 

The alien's words were still tumbling around in my head.  <Your children> Plural, children. <They will be special.> Special how? <They will be the first hybrids...> <There are definitely two.> I was too overcome to figure this all out right now or even think logically about it. 

John looked at me and said, "That was fucking creepy, seeing myself." 

I nodded. "It ain't no picnic, is it?" 

He nodded, trying, I knew, to hide his fear that was still coursing through him. He fidgeted in the chair, finally resting his hands on his knees to keep them still. "How the hell can you stay so calm?" 

I smiled a mirthless smile. "I look calmer than I am, although right now, I am relatively calm." I paused. "As opposed to a minute ago." He smiled at that. I knew that wasn't enough for him. "John, I've seen more than you have." 

He locked his gaze on mine then, questioning. "That's not an insult. It's just a fact. I've seen things that would curl your hair, and believe me, that morphing son-of-a-bitch is the least of it." 

He shook his head mildly. "What the hell have I gotten myself into?" He asked this as it he weren't expecting an answer. It was a question to himself. 

"Still want to stay on?" I asked. I couldn't help the smirk that landed on my face. 

He peered at me and chuffed out a breath. "Yeah, yeah, I still do, believe it or not. I'm a little shook up now is all." 

"Yeah, Scully was the same way the first time her rigid belief systems were shattered in the blink of an eye." 

He smiled at that. "Yeah, that about sums it up doesn't it?" 

"I don't say this, John, to be superior, or to make you feel inadequate. No one is adequate against these creatures, but we do what we can. They wanted Scully's blood. I didn't know she was pregnant. They told me if I didn't get it for them, they would TAKE it and I didn't want that to happen. I knew that if they took her, they wouldn't just take her blood. They wouldn't be able to resist doing more tests on her. I'd just been through that and it wasn't a stroll in the park, let me tell you." 

He nodded sagely. "I'll bet not. I must confess, I've never been convinced of the whole alien abduction thing. I believed that Dana believed it, but I really didn't, deep down." 

"And now?" 

"And now, as you said, my whole belief system is in turmoil. I'll have to reevaluate my beliefs in a lot of areas." 

I nodded, understanding. "It won't happen over night. It will be gradual." 

"I don't know. That little experience was fairly sudden." We both laughed at that as Scully emerged from the hallway. She'd obviously washed her face, and had pulled her hair back in a scrunchy. It was longer than when I left and I longed to run my fingers through it but now wasn't the time. I liked it when she wore it down. 

She came and sat next to me, leaning into my side. I put my arm around her shoulder. I found it surprisingly easy to talk to John Doggett. I was now glad that he had been here. I had actually felt good that he was there to shield Scully while I dealt with Java the Hut there. Had he not been here, this discussion would have been much more difficult. Trying to convince him of some of the things that had happened would have been damn near impossible. Just like it had been with Scully and we didn't have that kind of time now. I wanted him to know, suddenly. I wanted him to know so that he wouldn't dismiss the danger to Scully and our baby. If I wasn't around, I wanted him to be there. That thought shocked me a little. I'd always been so possessive of Scully. I'd always been so sure that I was the only one that could protect her. And even I failed miserably at that most of the time. 

But I was finding a new found sense of security in my relationship with her. Our intimacy had opened up yet another door of trust and comfort. I trusted her. I didn't need to trust him, not totally. I realized with sudden clarity that I wasn't threatened by him. I had no fear that he would come between us. Nothing could come between us now. Me and Scully were destined to be together. People may come and go in and out of our lives, but we would always be a team, in all ways. There was a certain freedom in this knowledge. Rather than feeling bound up by it or restricted by the fierce commitment we had toward one another, it was rather, a freedom. I could act now without the fear of losing her, as a partner, a friend, a lover or a mate. Whether I deserved her or not, she was mine. And I was hers. No questions, no conditions. We loved each other for free, unconditionally. 

We talked with John long into the night. We even shared why we were so shocked when the alien had said 'children.' Scully told him about her abduction, her subsequent barrenness and the miracle of this pregnancy. He sat in stunned silence through most of it but I knew that he was listening raptly, fascinated, if not totally believing. 

Finally, Scully and I were both yawning and John took his leave, telling us to call him if we needed anything and us saying the same. He belatedly congratulated us on our upcoming marriage and as he left, I knew that this weird little, three-person arrangement was going to work. 

* * *

* * *

**EPILOGUE (NC-17)**  
**LATER SUNDAY EVENING**

I was exhausted. I was laying nude in bed, with Mulder curled around me like a giant heating pad. I felt like I was melting into the mattress. Despite my exhaustion and the lethargy in my limbs, I couldn't sleep. 

Mulder nuzzled his nose into my hair and I sighed deeply. His voice rumbled into my ear, the vibrations of his chest skittering down my back. "Are you O.K., Scully?" 

"I'm fine, Mulder." 

He winced and I felt it. I really had to come up with some other phrase. Six months away and those particular two words still bothered him. "I just can't sleep," I added. 

"Hmm, me neither. Try, I know you're exhausted." 

I rolled back and he scooted away from me, making room for me to turn over. We lay facing each other and he absently twirled a strand of my hair around his finger. "I can't stop thinking about what he said. I don't want to believe him, because I'm afraid I'll be setting myself up for another colossal disappointment." 

He knew I was talking about that one little word that had sparked a fire storm in both our brains. 'Children', as in plural. 

"I know. But they've always been one step ahead of us, those bastards. As much as I hate to admit that, I somehow also don't think he was lying. But he was a lackey." 

"A lackey?" 

"Yeah, he obviously wasn't an elder. He was even acting under Hexla." 

"Elder?" I asked him. 

"That seems to be what they call the ones who make the ultimate decisions. Hexla told me that he had convinced the 'Elders' to keep me alive and convinced them of my worth. I think he's some sort of 'second in command.' He didn't say directly, but I think he probably argued that without me, your baby would be the ONLY one they would ever see for a long while. And they want this baby born healthy." 

"That scares the shit out of me. I'm so afraid that I'll have this baby only to have it ripped away from me. I lost Emily and I really don't think I could go through that again and remain sane." 

"I know. I have the same fear, but I also have a nagging feeling that I'm missing something here. They want both of us to live and if what Hemplar said is true, then they want us to have more children. We can't do that if we're dead. And we WON'T do that if they take the first one away. The result would be the same if they took either one of them away, if there is indeed two. I think they know that. They know that you will not be a brood mare for them. And I won't let that happen. If they were to take one child, I wouldn't risk having another one for them to take. They know that. I'd have myself fixed first." 

"Fixed?" 

"Have a vasectomy." 

"Oh." She grinned at my choice of words, knowing that was what I meant. 

"This is the beginning of a brand new life for us, Scully. And I refuse to live it in fear. We will cross bridges as we come to them. We have enough to worry about without trying to predict the future." 

"I know, but I thought my head would explode when I heard him say 'children'. Christ, my heart raced out of control." 

"I know, mine too. I tried to get as much information as possible, but I didn't want to piss him off." 

"Thank you for that. I kept thinking he was going to get violent any minute. I wished I'd had my weapon. I killed the other one with my gun, ya know?" 

"You did?" 

"Yeah, I aimed right for his Adam's apple and angled up a bit. I was on my ass at the time, so pointing up wasn't a problem. The bullet must have gone right through the right spot in the back of his neck, because he dissolved at my feet. I didn't even think it would kill him. I was just trying to slow him down so that I could get Gibson out of there. Gibson tried to warn me through the door that it wasn't Skinner. That's who he posed as, but it was too late. He grabbed me and yanked me into the room. Threw me across the room. I went airborne." 

He wrapped me into his arms once again. "Jesus, Scully. I'm so sorry. It's amazing you weren't killed, or you didn't lose the baby." 

I nodded.. "I know. I thanked God for that for quite a few days afterwards." 

We cuddled for a few minutes. I rolled into him and felt the erection that he was chivalrously ignoring for the past ten minutes. I knew he didn't want to push me. I also knew he was starved for intimacy. So was I. I think he found it a little hard to believe that I could be as horny as he was. 

I reached down and wrapped my hand around his pulsing shaft. He hissed through his teeth. I began to stroke him slowly and firmly. He moaned. "Oh, Scully, God, we don't have to do this if you're not up for it. I know you're tired." 

"Yes I am, I'm also horny." 

He barked out a laugh. "I never thought the day would come when I would hear Dana Scully say she was horny." 

I giggled and pumped him a little harder. He moaned again. I levered up onto my knees and pushed him onto his back. I bent over and took him in my mouth. "Scuulllyyy!" 

His hands sought out my hair and he thrust himself gently into my mouth as I sucked him firmly and continued to use my hand to pump the bottom of his shaft. I snaked my hand between his legs and he spread them to give me better access. I cupped his sacs gently and rolled his balls gently between my fingers. "OH, ho,ho! Scully! So good! That's just right. Just right." 

I kept this up, feeling my center grow slick and moist. When it began to throb, I sucked once more, hard and he bucked up, retreating into the mattress, panting. 

I straddled his legs and slowly guided him to my entrance. His hands flew to my breasts. "Are you sure you're ready? Do you need me to do anything first?" he asked. 

I love this man. He had absolutely no idea how turned on he made me just with a look, just with a moan. Rather than answer, I slid myself steadily down over his shaft, letting a groan shudder out of me. I sank down all the way until he was stuffed inside and my protruding tummy lay gently against his abdomen. His hands began to play with my breasts and tease my nipples. I began to ride him slowly. I was shortly drowning in a sea of sensation that only this man could provoke from my body. 

I was light-headed and dizzy in a delicious sort of way. I felt my body flush with heat from my core to my head and the beginning of my orgasm coiled at the base of my spine. He sat up slightly and shoved another pillow behind his back. This elevated him enough so that he could reach forward and suckle my breast without me having to lean forward. Did I mention that I love this man? 

As soon as that hot, wet mouth latched on to my breast, I keened with the pleasure of it, a high-pitched whine emerging from my throat. I sped up, lifting and letting myself fall, faster and faster, harder and harder. He felt so good filling me up to the brim. 

Upon hearing my whine, he sucked harder. I moaned, he laved my nipple with his tongue. I groaned. He sucked me even harder, pulling more of my breast into his mouth and swirling his tongue around my nipple at the same time. 

I broke apart. 

I screamed his name. 

I dug my fingers into his shoulders as my body spasmed with unbelievable pleasure. He let my breast go with a slight, wet sucking sound and flopped back onto the bed. My hands balanced on his pecs and he thrust up into me hard. Once, twice, three times. And then he shouted as his release overtook him. "Oh Yeah, Scully! Oh, God, I love you!" 

I continued to flutter around his shaft as we both returned to awareness and I gingerly rolled off of him and cuddled up to his side. He gently rolled me onto my back and kissed me softly and tenderly. "I love you so much, Scully. That was incredible." 

"Yes it was. I'll never get tired of the way you feel inside me." 

He grinned. "I hope not, because I plan on taking up residence there!" 

I chuckled then yawned. He kissed me softly again and said, "Sleep, I'll keep watch." 

I smiled at him tenderly. "You should sleep too." 

He hummed a little. "Not yet." 

I reached over and handed him my journal. "Here, if you're not going to sleep, read this. I need to sleep now though, I'm exhausted." 

* * *

I drifted asleep but woke some time later when I heard a faint buzzing sound. My ears were like cotton and I emerged slowly from my half sleep state to feel the vibration of his chest against my belly. He didn't know I was awake and I peered down at him. He had moved down the bed so that his head rested gently against the side of my belly. His hand was making soft, soothing circles over the top of my belly. 

And he was singing! So soft and quiet that I had to strain to hear him. His soft baritone floated up to my ears. He was singing a lullaby! One I'd never heard before, but it was unmistakably a lullaby. 
    
    
         "In Switzerland, across the sea,
         The yohowodel all day long.
    
         When mother's rock their babes to sleep,
         They sing this little song.
    
         Olee, Olee, Olee, aaaaaa!  
    
         You can hear the echo say,
         Up in the mountains so high!
    
         And sleepy little eyes of blue, 
         Peeping at the skies of blue, 
    
         Up in the heaven's so high!
         Go to sleep, my babe,
    
         Yaloholoholoho - Yaloholoholoho oooodeeeee.
    
         Sandman will blow,
         And star dust will fall.
    
         Olee, Olee, Olee, aaaaaa, good-night!"
    

I let the tears silently roll down my cheeks as I listened to him sing to my belly. It had to be the sweetest thing I'd ever seen him do, and I'd seen him do some pretty sweet things. And he could yodel! Who knew? 

He hummed and kissed my belly and then let his head fall down, closing his eyes. He had a soft smile on his face. 

We had lots of obstacles to face yet. But at this moment, the man I loved was singing a lullaby to the miracle baby in my belly all was right with the world. 

**THE END.**   
  


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